


All the Stars That Fall

by Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Anxiety, Bodyguard, F/M, Fame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-10-09 13:32:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 28,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17407829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities/pseuds/Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities
Summary: Caitlin Snow, most sought out actress in Hollywood, is in her prime. With more than ten films under her belt, she is finally settling into the rhythm that is Hollywood. What happens when one man, Barry Allen, who is hired on as her bodyguard, comes into the picture? Will these two learn how to like each other or will it all fall apart? Snowbarry. I don't own the show.





	1. Chapter 1

Caitlin looked out of her ceiling to floor window of her LA apartment, sipping her coffee at a leisurely pace. She had come in from a late night of filming and, knowing that she had to be back on set in two hours, opted to just drink coffee until they finished shooting the final scene of them film. Then she could sleep. Taking another sip of the warm beverage, Caitlin walked over to where her television was mounted on the wall and turned it on, flipping to her favorite news station and letting it play as background noise. Somewhere along the way, she heard her name creep into the segment and turned the volume up.

"…And lastly, actress Caitlin Snow, most notably famous for her portrayal in "The Widow in the Window", has just signed onto the project, "Before the Lies Become Compulsory". Caitlin Snow, while one of Hollywood's most sought-after actresses seems to keep a tight lid on her private life. We don't know if she is currently with Ronnie Raymond, Hollywood's most wanted actor, but the two certainly did look cozy at the MTV awards…"

Caitlin rolled her eyes, sighing to herself. Seriously? The news anchor had nothing better to report than about her time at the MTV awards with her friend? To be fair, Ronnie and she had tried their hand at dating but quickly found they operated better as friends. Add into the mix that he was in love with his high school sweetheart, and there really wasn't much left to say about the matter. Shaking her head at the antics of it all, she finished the last dregs of her coffee before cleaning her cup out in the sink.

She chanced a glance at her clock above her stove and realized she had about an hour and a half until she had to be at set. Knowing how the traffic in the city was, even in the early hours of the morning, Caitlin hurried to get ready. She slid into a pair of black skinny jeans, adding a white shirt and soft black sweater. Adding a light layer of makeup and her converse, Caitlin grabbed her keys and purse out of their respective holders and left her apartment. Once downstairs, she spotted Andrew, her driver, waiting for her with a latte in his hand.

"Morning, Ms. Snow," Andrew greeted her, smile adorning his face. She took the latte with a smile of gratitude, taking an eager sip.

"Good morning, Andrew," she replied. She slid into the back of the car, locking eyes with Felicity Smoak, her publicist.

"Good morning, Licity," Caitlin said, and the blonde smiled.

"Morning, Snow," she replied. "We're set for the final scene of the day, and then you've got meet and greets with your fans before the show tonight."

Caitlin nodded. She absolutely adored her fans, knowing she wouldn't be half the person she was today without them.

"What time is the show?" Caitlin wondered, taking another sip of her latte. Felicity consulted her notes.

"You're on the Late Show so we need to be there around seven," came the reply, and Caitlin bobbed her head. This wasn't the first time she'd be on that show. As Andrew pulled away from the curb and into the steady stream of traffic, Caitlin looked at the itinerary Felicity placed into her hands.

"I have lunch with Ronnie today?" Caitlin asked in surprise, and Felicity looked at her.

"Just for publicity," she replied a little too casually.

"Licity," Caitlin groaned. "I told you I'm not interested him and he's not interested in me. In fact, he's into his high school sweetheart, something you know because you were there when he told me."

"Think of how good it'll look for the both of you," Felicity tried to be persuasive but Caitlin wasn't happy. She sighed grumpily, leaning back into the seat and folding her arms.

"Fine, I'll go, but I won't stop from saying I told you so when our "breakup" is very public," she said petulantly, and Felicity rolled her eyes.

"That's the spirit I'm looking for, kid," she muttered.

The two women fell silent, and Caitlin had ample opportunity to think about the final scene they'd be filming today. It was the scene where she had to watch the actress who was playing her mother in the film succumb to her terminal illness. Caitlin knew the director was expecting the heavy acting today but she also knew, if focused, she could bring so much more than tears to the scene. She was excited to see how far she could put herself into the final scene, having already done a fair bit of intense acting for the film in general.

"You know, Caitlin, with the way your acting has been for this film, I wouldn't be surprised if you were nominated by the time award season rolls around," Felicity said conversationally. Caitlin, while flushing with pride, didn't want to get too hopeful just yet.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Licity. There are far better actresses out there than me," she reminded her, and Felicity just let out an audible sigh.

"How many times do I have to tell you how good you are?" Felicity demanded.

"Until it sinks in, I suppose," Caitlin shrugged and grinned. Felicity rolled her eyes and Caitlin settled herself in for the remainder of the drive to the set.

XXX

When they reached the set with fifteen minutes to spare, Caitlin was whisked away upon immediate arrival, Felicity following behind her wordlessly. The makeup team sat Caitlin down in the chair, wiped off her makeup she had put on, (honestly, she still didn't understand why she bothered to do her own makeup sometimes when she knew it was going to get removed), and began applying a new layer.

Mark, the hairstylist, began to straighten her hair as he engaged her in light conversation.

"Ready for the final shoot today, Caitlin?" Mark asked, and she hummed, eyes closed as the makeup artist painted a nude eyeshadow over her eyelids.

"Yes," she said. "I'm just hoping to be able to do the job in only a couple of takes."

"Given the way you've worked this entire filming process, I don't think that'll be too hard to accomplish," Mark encouraged her, and Caitlin smiled.

"Thanks, Mark," she replied.

"Ah, Caity, don't smile," Miranda, her lead makeup artist, said.

"Sorry, Mir," she said, going back to pursing her lips as Miranda applied a coat of light lip gloss.

Eventually, her team's work was done and Caitlin was called to set. After two hours of filming the final scene, the director called cut, and Caitlin felt like she could breathe a bit easier. This movie had drained a lot of her energy, something she'd never tell anyone. She wiped at her face mutely, catching the tears that she had shed in order to be as authentic as possible with the scene, before looking at the director who was making her way over.

"Outstanding work, Caitlin," Cecelia said, grinning at her.

"Thanks," Caitlin grinned back.

"Honestly, probably your best yet and you still have that other movie to film in a handful of weeks," Cecelia continued, and Caitlin ducked her head bashfully.

"Well, as you say, you get what you put in," Caitlin murmured, and Cecelia nodded her head.

"And, you put one hell of a performance in," she agreed.

"I had a great director," Caitlin admitted, but Cecelia shrugged.

"It was all you, kid. I just gave you the material and you ran with it," she replied. Caitlin, not one to feel comfortable with compliments, just grinned embarrassedly, before being dismissed to go get changed back into her normal clothes. She sighed happily as she made her way to her trailer and began to change. After she had changed back into the outfit she originally arrived in, there was a knock at her door.

"It's open," Caitlin called, and a moment later Felicity poked her head in.

"Hey, great job with the tears, Snow," Felicity congratulated her as she stepped into the trailer.

"Thanks," Caitlin grinned. She went over to her espresso machine and made herself a double shot.

"We have a few minutes before your bodyguard gets here," Felicity mentioned, and Caitlin groaned.

"Felicity, I told you I didn't want a bodyguard," she muttered.

"And, I told you: you're getting to the point where you need one. Your fame is bigger than you are," Felicity said simply. "I will not have something happen to you by a crazed fan. Not on my watch."

Caitlin knew it was basically hopeless to try and convince her publicist otherwise, so just sighed and folded her arms across her chest.

"Fine," she muttered. There wasn't much more to say before Felicity's phone chimed. Looking at it expectantly, a grin stretched itself across her lips.

"Ah, he's here. Right on time. Let's go," she instructed. Sighing, Caitlin snagged her coffee off the counter and followed Felicity outside of her trailer. There was a man with his back facing her, taking in the scene before him. All she could tell about him was that he was tall, muscular, and had brown hair. She was nothing if not polite, so she painted a smile on her face as Felicity addressed him.

"Barry Allen?" Felicity asked, and the man turned. Caitlin's heart stopped immediately, then picked up harshly, pulsing against her ribcage. This man was so much more better looking than she could have dreamed possible. Trying to rearrange her facial expression into one of polite ease, she held her hand out to him.

"Hello, Mr. Allen. I'm Caitlin Snow," she introduced herself. He glanced down at her hand, stoic expression firmly in place, before nodding.

"Barry," he said gruffly, and Caitlin, once realizing he wasn't going to shake her hand, let it fall back to her side awkwardly.

"Barry," she said, uncomfortably aware that he was staring at her. "Uhm, I just wanted to say thanks for agreeing to do this. You didn't have to."

"I'm getting paid," he shrugged, and Caitlin nodded. No niceties from him, then.

Felicity cleared her throat. "Well, Barry. Here's what we're looking at for the rest of the day: Caitlin has a lunch with an old friend that I need you to attend."

"Felicity, does he really have to be there when I grab lunch with Ronnie?" Caitlin protested the crazy notion but Felicity just shot her a less than impressed look.

"Yes," she said simply. "Anyways, after that, it's meet and greets with some fans, and then a talk show tonight. I need you at all of the events."

Barry nodded.

"I also already set you up in the apartment across from her, should she need anything," Felicity continued, and Caitlin sighed.

"Licity, it's not like I have a stalker, or anyone who is threatening me. He doesn't need to live in my complex for heaven's sake," she said.

Barry looked at her. "All due respect, Ms. Snow, but it's easier this way. I was hired to be a full-time bodyguard, not a part time one. I take my job very seriously."

She stared at him for a long moment, before admitting defeat and hunching her shoulders inwards.

"Fine," she muttered, picking at her nails.

Felicity and Barry continued to talk for several more minutes and Caitlin tuned them out. She was beginning to think longingly of her yoga mat and a quick session before Felicity's voice brought her back to the present moment.

"Well, I think that's all of importance," she said, and Caitlin looked at her. "I've got to get back to the office but Barry will ride with you and Andrew back to your apartment. You've got four hours before lunch, so try and get a nap in before then, alright?"

Caitlin nodded. "I will."

"Alright then. Have a good morning, and I'll see you for the meet and greet later this afternoon," Felicity said, and Caitlin bobbed her head. Felicity was gone in the next moment, and Caitlin looked at Barry.

"May as well get going," she said conversationally, hoping to get him to smile, but nothing. Sighing, she knew this was going to be a long experience for her, one that left her feeling an ache between her shoulders. Perfect.

Author's note: Helllloooooooo Snowbarry shippers. I am back. I have a new story that I am very excited about. Don't worry, this isn't going to be one where Caitlin needs saving cause she's a boss who can save herself. This will explore the relationship between an actress in the limelight and her bodyguard. I hope you give it a chance and leave reviews as you see fit. I might share my tumblr if you have any questions. Love you to all. Xxx


	2. Chapter 2

Andrew dropped Barry and Caitlin off at her complex about an hour and a half later and Caitlin sent him a friendly smile as she got out of the car. Barry told her to hang on for a moment as he doubled back to talk to Andrew about something. Caitlin rolled her eyes – all she really wanted to do was get inside her apartment, close the blackout curtains, and go to sleep. But, if she wasn't a good girl and listen to her bodyguard, Felicity would have her head. She snorted at the thought. Barry eventually made his way back to her.

"Alright, Ms. Snow," he said, and Caitlin looked at him.

"You can call me Caitlin you, know," she reminded him, but he shook his head.

"It's highly unprofessional. I'm here to be your bodyguard, not your friend," he said, and she huffed out an irritated sigh. Whatever. She tried. She nodded her head once and turned on her heel, making her way away from him and into the complex. He kept up with her easily. Just as they reached the entrance, Caitlin was stopped when she heard someone calling her name.

"Oh my god, are you Caitlin Snow?" A woman's voice asked, and Caitlin turned around to find herself face-to-face with a woman who looked to be a few years younger than her. She nodded, smiling politely.

"That's me," Caitlin replied. "What's your name?"

"Amanda," the woman said. She bit her lip, looking embarrassed, before smiling shyly. "Can I get an autograph?"

Caitlin was quick to acquiesce. She accepted the slip of paper the woman had dug out from her purse, grabbing her own pen in the process, and signed it.

"I loved you in The Widow in the Window," Amanda said. "Couldn't sleep for days after seeing the film."

Caitlin chortled. "Well, I am sorry about that but I'm glad the film had the desired effect. That was a fun one to film. Want to hear a secret?"

Amanda nodded enthusiastically.

"I couldn't sleep for days after filming was through, either," Caitlin said, and Amanda laughed. Caitlin handed back the slip of paper and capped her pen. "Well, Amanda, I hope you have a good day."

Amanda smiled at her before walking off and Caitlin felt pride coursing through her. It was always nice to be appreciated for her work. She glanced back at Barry who was standing a few feet behind her with an odd look on his face.

"What?" Caitlin asked curiously, and he shrugged.

"Nothing. You're just good with your fans," he replied.

"They're good with me," she explained simply, and he nodded.

"Let's get inside," he suggested, and she sighed in relief. Finally, she'd be able to get some sleep. They made their way into the complex and Caitlin smiled at Dean, the concierge.

"Hello, Dean," she greeted, and he smiled at her.

"Good morning, Caitlin," he replied. "I trust all is well?"

She nodded. "Yes. Just finished shooting for the day. How are you? How's the family?"

"They're great. William is with the kids right now. Then, when I get off, we promised we'd take them to see the latest Avengers movie," he said, and she smiled warmly.

"It's a good one," she said.

"I heard a rumor you and Chris Evans were quite comfortable with getting to know one another," he added slyly, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?" Caitlin asked. "And what did I tell you about the rumors you hear?"

"To not believe them as far as I can throw them," Dean laughed, and she winked at him.

"Exactly."

"Piper is going to be very disappointed," he said, and she laughed.

"She'll survive, I'm sure," Caitlin assured him. "How old is she now?"

"Thirteen and going on twenty-five," he replied, rolling his eyes a bit.

"Ah, teenage years. Good luck with that," Caitlin said.

"Thanks so much, Caitlin," he replied, and she smiled at him fondly before making her way to the elevator. Barry hadn't said anything during the entire exchange, just choosing to stand there stoically in the background. It wasn't until they got in the elevator did he speak up.

"How long has Dean been the concierge here?" Barry asked lowly, and Caitlin looked at him.

"As long as I've been here and I moved in five years ago. Why?" Caitlin asked curiously.

"I'm going to do a thorough background check on him and his family, find out more about them," he said.

"That's an invasion of privacy!" Caitlin protested.

"It's my job," Barry said simply, tone booking no room for argument. That didn't mean Caitlin had to be happy about his choices. When the elevator stopped on her floor, she stomped out as soon as the doors opened and hurried to her room. Barry wasn't far behind her and stopped her with a hand to her shoulder.

"What?" Caitlin hissed, annoyed at the man in front of her. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before smoothing back into his stony expression.

"I'll be in the apartment right across the hall. Felicity gave me your number and she should've have programmed mine into your phone," he said. Caitlin fished her phone out of her purse, scrolling through her contacts, before landing on one labeled, "Tall, Muscular, and Handsome". Rolling her eyes, she showed it to him.

"This your number?" Caitlin asked, and he looked at it, snorting at the name. Caitlin was momentarily surprised that he could do something as remotely easy as laughing but she was still too angry with his confession about Dean to acknowledge it.

"That's me," he said, and she nodded.

"Fine. I have your number. If I'm in great peril, I'll make sure to call you first," she said sarcastically. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed." With that, she unlocked her door, let herself into her apartment, and shut the door in his face.

XXX

Two hours later and Caitlin woke up feeling better than she had all morning. The power of naps. She sat up, stretching her arms high above her head, before swinging her legs out of bed and getting up. She made her way towards her kitchen, turning on her coffee pot once there. Once she had her cup of coffee, she padded her way back into her room, heading into her bathroom for a shower. She knew she should tell Barry she was up and about to start getting ready for lunch but she was still infuriated with him for the way he was treating the whole situation and wanted a few more minutes of annoyance allotted to herself.

She stepped into the shower after shedding her clothes, making sure the water was as hot as she could stand it. That was one of Caitlin's most absolute favorite things about her apartment: her shower. She had made sure to install a showerhead that had different temperatures and nozzles that would allow for different pressures if she so wished.

When she was through with her shower, she toweled off, before stepping out and wrapping her robe around her. She made her way towards her vanity and sat down. She knew that while it was just Ronnie she was meeting for lunch, she couldn't afford to look like she had just rolled out of bed and threw on the first thing she found in her closet. So, she began her makeup process, sipping from her coffee mug intermittently.

Once her makeup was done to her liking, she dried her hair into loose waves that framed her face before going to search for an outfit. She knew that Felicity wouldn't expect her to have her outfit for the meet and greet picked out so she wore something that was comfortable to her. She slid into her favorite pair of skinny jeans, added a flowy baby doll tank top, and applied a final layer of lipstick before making her way out of her apartment and across the hall. Sighing heavily, Caitlin knocked on Barry's door and waited for him to answer. He did so a moment later and she nearly dropped her jaw.

"You answer the door without a shirt on?" Was the first thing she blurted out in her surprise. Don't stare at his chest, don't stare at his chest, don't stare at his chest.

"I wasn't expecting you to come over here," he admitted. "I was coming to get you."

"Well," Caitlin shrugged. "I just wanted to let you know I'm ready and am heading down. Figured if I just texted you and left without your permission, there'd be hell to pay."

Barry nodded. "That'd be correct."

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I'm going downstairs now."

"Let me just put a shirt on," Barry said.

"That'd be preferable," Caitlin drawled.

She knew that her and Barry didn't seem to hit it off well but it wasn't her job to make sure she did everything her bodyguard said. She was an adult and she was going to continue to live her life regardless of what rules were in place.

Eventually, Barry was ready and they made their way to the elevator. Caitlin tapped her foot to the beat of The Middle that was playing in her head. It was on her workout playlist and she had heard it the day before when she was running the treadmill in her gym. She started humming soon enough and Barry looked at her.

"The Middle?" Barry asked curiously, and Caitlin looked at him in surprise.

"You know Jimmy Eat World?" Caitlin asked, and Barry nodded once.

"They're not bad." Caitlin grinned.

XXX

Caitlin pulled up to the café she was supposed to meet Ronnie at and looked at Barry.

"This is where you can leave me alone for about an hour or so," she said, looking at him expectantly, but he just shook his head.

"Nope, I'm going into the café with you," he replied, and Caitlin frowned.

"But-," she began.

"It's my job, Ms. Snow," Barry reminded her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Try to be discreet," she mumbled. They walked into the café and Caitlin immediately spotted Ronnie and headed towards him.

"Ronnie, hey," she greeted, accepting the chair he held out for her with a smile. She glanced around and spotted Barry sitting a couple of tables over, looking at everyone through his sunglasses. She sighed. It was like he went out of his way to not blend in.

"Friend of yours'? Ronnie asked curiously once spotting who she was looking at.

"No. Bodyguard," she grimaced, and Ronnie laughed.

"I wondered if Felicity would get her way with that. Glad to see I wasn't wrong. Molly owes me twenty bucks," he grinned smugly, and Caitlin rolled her eyes fondly.

"Molly should know better than to place a bet against Licity," she said.

"That's what I said," Ronnie smirked, and Caitlin laughed freely. She missed days with Ronnie and Molly. They were two of the few people she truly cherished in LA.

"How is Molly?" Caitlin asked, opening the conversation up for him to brag about his girlfriend. She listened as he went into detail about how well she was doing, glowing with pride the whole time. Caitlin smiled warmly at her friend, happy that he seemed to have found such a wonderful person to share that kind of intimacy with.

Ronnie and Caitlin chatted for an hour about Molly, both their respective projects they were working on, and how they'd love to have some time off before filming their next films. Caitlin glanced at her watch, smiling apologetically at Ronnie.

"Sorry, Ronnie, but I have to go or I'll be late to meet and greet and Felicity will have my head," she said, and Ronnie laughed.

"Always keeping you in line, Snow," he said, and she huffed out a chuckle.

"Says the man who still likes to throw house parties for half the NBA," she countered, and he shrugged, coy smirk on his face.

"I'll call you when our schedules aren't as hectic, okay?" Ronnie asked, laying down money for their meal and she nodded.

"Sounds great, Ron, thanks," she said, getting up and hugging him. She knew there would undoubtedly be paparazzi outside, thirsting for pictures of them in a close embrace. Luckily Molly was such an understanding person.

"Bye, Snow," Ronnie said, and she smiled at him, before heading towards Barry who was standing up at his table, holding his to-go coffee.

"So, you actually remained inconspicuous. I'm impressed," Caitlin said, and Barry's lips twitched.

"Aha! He does know how to smile!" Caitlin exclaimed, grinning herself. Barry kept his expression stern but Caitlin could tell it took him a bit of an effort and that was a win in her book.

"Let's get going, Ms. Snow," he said, and Caitlin stopped walking and held her hand up.

"Alright, if we're going to make this partnership work you have to stop calling me that. My name is Caitlin or Cait, if you're lucky, and I'd like you to address me as such," she said, tone booking no room for argument.

He looked at her in surprise, before smiling briefly.

"Alright, Caitlin, let's go. Before Felicity has both of our heads," he said wryly, and she grinned.

Progress.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to Andrew's expert driving, Caitlin and Barry made it to the meet and greet with plenty of time to spare. Caitlin smiled at Andrew, thanking him profusely for getting her to Felicity on time, and Barry simply nodded, asking the driver to hang around until they were back. That seemed to perturb Andrew and Caitlin could say she honestly couldn't blame him. Andrew had never so much as stepped a toe out of line whilst being Caitlin's driver, so why should he start now? Shaking her head to herself, Caitlin sent him one more fond, grateful smile and stepped out of the car.

The screams that pierced the air reverberated in Caitlin's ears, and she took a moment to collect herself. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for her fans because she was, she owed them everything; it was just that sometimes she was left feeling overwhelmed with the sheer amount of love they had for her. Sometimes, she wondered if they knew the real her, not the magazine version of her, would they still love her? Barry placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her forward.

"C'mon, Caitlin, let's get to Felicity," he instructed, and she nodded. Felicity wasn't too far away from them and once Caitlin spotted her, she smiled and made her way towards her.

"Hey, Licity," she greeted, and Felicity held up a finger, telling Caitlin to give her a moment while she was on the phone.

"I don't care Charlie, I want to be the first one to know when the fan mail has arrived," she said, and Caitlin looked at her. What on earth was Felicity talking to Charlie about fan mail for? Deciding not to press for information, Caitlin just waited patiently for Felicity to get off the phone. Eventually, Felicity clicked off the phone and looked at Caitlin, then Barry.

"No trouble getting here, I assume?" Felicity asked, and Caitlin didn't have to work hard to note that she was only talking to Barry. She frowned but didn't say anything as Barry shook his head.

"None," he said. "Do I need to know about the fan mail?"

Caitlin looked at Felicity as she licked her lips. "No. That's something I'm in correspondence with, with Charlie."

"Since when does Charlie have a say in the fan mail?" Caitlin asked, and Barry looked back and forth between her and Felicity.

"Who is Charlie?" Barry demanded, expression firm.

"He's my agent," Caitlin said, before looking back at Felicity.

Felicity sighed. "Charlie wants all the fan mail delivered to him but he doesn't really get a say on the matter."

"I know I've asked this before but why can't the fan mail be delivered to me?" Caitlin asked for what felt like the umpteenth time. Barry looked at her.

"I don't think that's wise, Caitlin," he said lowly, and she cocked an eyebrow at him, asking him to elaborate. "I think that if there were to be some suspicious or threatening mail for you, it'd need to go through Felicity first."

Caitlin snorted. "Come on, Barry. I don't get 'suspicious or threatening' mail. Ever."

He didn't look amused. "Still. Felicity is better equipped to deal with it if you did."

Caitlin looked at Felicity beseechingly, begging her to be on her side about this, but she just shook her head.

"Sorry, Caitlin, but I'm with Barry on this one. The whole reason I appointed Barry as your bodyguard was to make sure fans didn't start getting crazy ideas now that you're at the height of your career. That doesn't exclude creepy letters. I want to read them all, before passing them off to you. Trust me, it'll be better for your mental health this way," she said, voice unusually gentle. Who was Caitlin to argue with that?

Sighing, she changed the subject. "Are we ready for the meet and greet?"

Felicity nodded, smiling at her kindly. "Yes. The fans who have passes to be inside the convention are already waiting for you. The fans who don't are lined up for some autographs."

Caitlin grinned. She loved meeting her fans. She looked at Barry.

"Try to remain relaxed, alright?" Caitlin asked, a teasing note to her tone. His lips twitched again and she felt a momentary thrill that she was the one able to get the normally so stoic man to smile. He nodded his head.

"I will if they do," he replied calmly, and Caitlin rolled her eyes good-humoredly. That was asking a bit much. She looked at Felicity.

"You ready, Licity?" Caitlin asked, and her friend nodded.

"Ready whenever you are, Snow," came the response. Caitlin grinned before stepping away from Felicity and towards her fans who were standing behind a long, velvet rope. She knew she'd have to walk the length of the rope to get to the building, meaning she'd be stopped just about every other second to sign something. She didn't mind it one bit.

The fans screamed louder as Caitlin approached, some clicking their cameras feverishly. She grinned and waved as she made her way down the path to the studio, Barry trailing behind her. She paused every time a fan asked her to sign something or take a picture with them. Caitlin grinned at each phone she came into contact with; laughed with each fan who had blinding smiles on their faces as they snapped the picture.

By the time she got right to the end of the line she had signed well over fifty autographs and taken at least a quarter more of that number in pictures. She waved once more to her fans before allowing Barry to usher her inside the building. Once inside, she took a moment to breathe deeply. Even though she loved every minute she got to spend with her fans, it still left her feeling a little anxious and drained.

"You alright, Snow?" Felicity asked, and she nodded.

"Fine. Just taking a breather," she replied.

"Take your time, the convention can wait a few more minutes," Barry said, and Felicity followed it up with her own affirmation. When Caitlin had taken a moment for herself, she looked at Barry and Felicity, smiling.

"I'm ready," she said, and Felicity nodded. She looked at Barry.

"We need you to wait back stage but keep an eye on the audience," she said, and he nodded.

"I swear," he vowed seriously, and Felicity looked pleased. She looked at Caitlin one last time.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

The two women walked out onto the stage and Caitlin was immediately assailed by the sounds of deafening screams. She smiled as brightly as she could as cameras clicked throughout the room feverishly. Blinded by the brightness of the flashes, Caitlin made her way to the table she was supposed to sit at and sat down, grin still intact. The screams echoed inside of her brain, swirling around, making her feel dizzy from the noise alone. Eventually, the commentator held the microphone to her lips.

"Helloooo everyone, and good afternoon! I'm Melissa Prescott, the commentator for this meet and greet!" Melissa exclaimed and the fans screamed even louder. Caitlin grinned at Melissa, then the fans.

"Alright, alright. Let's take a moment to thank Ms. Snow for showing up, shall we?" Melissa asked, and chorus of thank you shot through the room.

"You're all very welcome," Caitlin said into her microphone, smile still adorning her face.

"Ms. Snow," Melissa began. "How are you this afternoon?"

"I'm great, Melissa. I'd be even better if you called me Caitlin," she replied, and Melissa chuckled.

"Alright, Caitlin," she said, before turning to the audience. "This is what we have lined up for the afternoon: questions and autographs. We can't get to every question but we'll try to get to a lot of them."

Caitlin and the audience nodded collectively and the questions began to start as soon as Melissa pointed to a young girl who couldn't be older than sixteen.

"Ms. Snow…er, Caitlin, what's the one piece of advice you'd give to a fan wanting to follow in your footsteps?" The girl asked, and Caitlin smiled at her.

"What's your name?" Caitlin asked curiously.

"Emma," came the shy reply.

"Well, Emma," Caitlin began. "That's easy. Don't ever give up on your dreams and don't let your decisions or choices be made based off what other people think is appropriate for you."

Emma grinned at her and Caitlin returned it.

The next question came from a woman who seemed to be in her mid-thirties.

"Caitlin, what advice would you have for children who look up to you?" She asked.

"What's your name?" Caitlin asked kindly, and the woman smiled.

"Sally," she said.

"Well, Sally, I would say that they need to pick their role models based on what they like. I know that when I was a kid, I had a hard time finding a role model to look up to. By the time I was doing productions in school, I swore to myself that if I ever made it in Hollywood, I'd be the kind of role model I had always hoped to find growing up," she explained, and Sally nodded appreciatively.

"You're doing a wonderful job at that," Sally assured her, and Caitlin grinned warmly.

"Thank you, Sally," she said.

The questions continued, with Caitlin answering as many as she could. Then, the picture and autographs portion of the event started and the security guards line everybody up, making sure they didn't overwhelm Caitlin, who was sitting calmly as she each person came up to her, one-by-one. She signed different things for them: some paper, some autograph books, even some t-shirts. She had one fan who asked her to sign his arm.

"Are you going to get this tattooed onto you?" Caitlin asked knowingly, and he grinned.

"Guilty," he admitted.

"Creepy," Felicity muttered, quiet enough for only Caitlin to hear. She shook her head slightly, indicating for Felicity to not speak any louder and signed the fan's arm.

"Good luck with the tattoo," she said, then he made his way out of line and she turned to the next fan.

"Hello, what's your name?" Caitlin asked kindly.

"Penelope," she said, and Caitlin smiled.

"Well, Penelope, what am I signing for you?" Caitlin asked and Penelope produced the movie poster from her movie, The Widow in the Window. Caitlin signed it, smiling at her. The line continued to move steadily and Caitlin's hand began to cramp from all the autographs she was signing. She didn't complain once, though, knowing it was her fans who helped keep her in a job.

Eventually, the meet and greet ended, and Caitlin and Felicity stood, smiling at the audience. Melissa thanked Caitlin once more, and Caitlin waved, before leading Felicity out of the room. Once backstage, she spotted Barry standing stiffly to the side, eyes taking in every screaming fan.

"Are you alright?" Caitlin asked, unsure why he was so tense.

"You let some guy get your autograph on his body? What if he gets that tattooed, Caitlin?" Barry asked, frown set in stone against his lips. Caitlin's own frown tugged at her own lips in response.

"So what if he wants to get it tattooed? It's his body," she shrugged, not finding the big deal in it. Barry opened his mouth to say something, but she held a hand up.

"Look, Barry, you're my bodyguard, not my gate-keeper. It's your job to make sure fans don't get out of line, not dictate what kind of autograph they get. The guy is some harmless kid who wants a tattoo. Not the end of the world," she said, and he sighed.

"Alright, just – just be careful, okay?" Barry asked, tone pleading, and Caitlin studied him for a long moment, wondering what had him so worried. Eventually she nodded.

"I will," she promised.

"We need to get to the show," Felicity piped up, and Caitlin hummed.

"Alright, let's go."

XXX

By the time Andrew pulled up to the studios that The Late Show was filmed in, Caitlin spotted a line that wrapped all the way around the building.

"Fans knew about the filming," Felicity answered Caitlin's unspoken question, and Caitlin nodded. She painted a smile onto her face as Barry stepped out of the car, body blocking the fans access from seeing her.

"You ready for this?" Barry asked quietly.

"Yes," she assured, accepting the hand he held out to her to help her out of the car. As soon as her feet hit the pavement, screams pierced the air. Caitlin smiled as she walked into the studio.

"Caitlin!"

"Caitlin, are you and Ronnie getting married?"

"Caitlin, who's the man on your arm?"

"Caitlin! Caitlin! Caitlin!"

Keeping a firm grip on her arm, Barry led her into the studios, with Felicity trailing in behind them, ignoring the questions of the reporters. Once inside, Caitlin was whisked away to hair and makeup, Barry simply following wordlessly. She was placed in a chair and the team began to work their magic. Barry stayed in the background, watching everybody as they worked, Caitlin in turn watching him. He always seemed so stiff; posture tensed and ready for a fight at any given moment. Caitlin wondered if it was a bodyguard thing.

Felicity walked in, carrying a cup in her hands.

"I come bearing gifts," she said, and Caitlin smiled as she accepted the coffee Felicity handed her.

"You're an angel," she murmured appreciatively, sipping the coffee.

"Duh," was the response. As Caitlin sipped her coffee intermittently, her eyes kept going back to Barry's reflection in the mirror. He seemed tall and intimidating, glaring at anyone who so much as looked at Caitlin for a moment too long. She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. Just then, there was a knock on the door and Barry went to go answer it.

"Who are you?" Barry asked, and Caitlin bit back a sigh at his sharp tone. The guy had absolutely no manners.

"Uh. James. Part of the film crew. I'm here to tell Caitlin it's time," he said, and Caitlin stood up, placing her now empty coffee cup in the recycling bin.

"Hey, James," she grinned. "Good to see you again."

"You, too, Caitlin," James remarked with a grin of his own. He looked back at Barry, then Caitlin.

"Bodyguard?" James asked, and Caitlin nodded.

"Yeah, this is Barry. Barry, meet James," she introduced, and the two men looked at each other. James didn't offer him a handshake, like he normally did with the other people on her team, and neither did Barry for that matter. Caitlin felt the awkward tension thickening the air and bit her lip.

"Alright, well, I better get out there," she said, and James nodded once.

"Follow me," he said, holding the door open for her. Barry followed too.

XXX

By the time the segment was filmed and Caitlin was given the all clear to leave, she and Barry were making their way to the car while Felicity was chatting animatedly.

"So, you've got a couple days off to recoup, and then it's some press before the filming of your next film," Felicity said, and Caitlin yawned as she nodded. She was thinking longingly have a hot shower and a quick check of her social media, before reading a book.

The car ride was silent as she scrolled through her Instagram. She had uploaded some of her most recent photos from set, and then some from her doing regular activities, such as her yoga session the day prior. Fans had immediately liked all of the new pictures, leaving over thousands of comments. Caitlin smiled fondly at all the niceties they left, before switching over to her Twitter app.

Great day today! Met some wonderful fans, signed an arm, and was on The Late Show. I plan on doing a Q & A sometime later this week so check out my blog for more details on that. Goodnight, LA!

She closed out of her Twitter app and looked towards Andrew.

"Andrew?" Caitlin asked in her sweetest voice, and her driver chuckled.

"I know that voice, Caitlin. It's when you want me to make a detour. What would you like?" Andrew asked.

"A burger, please!" Caitlin exclaimed happily, and the man chuckled even more, before exiting the highway.

XXX

When Caitlin had her burger and fries in a bag that was clutched in her hands, Andrew made his way to her apartment complex, after dropping Felicity off. Once there, Barry got out first, holding the door open for her. She smiled at Andrew; Barry nodded once. Then, there were headed inside, up to her floor. Dean didn't work the night shifts so she didn't have anyone to say hello to, something she was actually rather grateful for, given how tired and hungry she was.

By the time they got to her floor, Caitlin looked at Barry.

"Would you like to come in and eat dinner with me?" Caitlin asked, nodding her head to the bag Barry too clutched in his own hands. He thought about it for a moment, before nodding briefly.

"Sure," he said easily, and she unlocked her door, making her way into the apartment. She noted how he had taken in everything about her apartment, eyes appraising her blind-free, floor-to-ceiling window with a frown.

"I hope you know how dangerous it is to not have blinds in place, Caitlin," he said, and she rolled her eyes amusedly.

"What, are you programmed to assume the worst about everyone and every situation or something?" Caitlin challenged, and he sighed.

"It's ingrained in me. I'm just doing my job," he said, and she smiled slightly.

"And, I appreciate that, truly. But, I'm not going to live my life in fear because you live yours' in a state of constant awareness," she said quietly. He studied her for a long moment, before looking at the picture of the ocean with the sun setting as a backdrop she had hanging on her wall.

"Who took the photo?" Barry asked, and she looked at it, smiling.

"Me," she replied.

"You're a photographer?" Barry asked, barely able to contain his surprise.

"It's a hobby I like to do in between films," she said.

"It's good," he complimented her, and she smiled graciously.

"Thank you."

They fell silent then as they ate their burgers. It was Caitlin who first broke the silence.

"I'm not asking for your permission or anything, but I am letting you know there's a party tomorrow night that Ronnie is throwing for Molly. I'm going and, as you're my bodyguard, I'm assuming you're going, too?" Caitlin asked, dunking a fry in ketchup. He nodded.

"What time is it?" Barry asked.

"It starts at eight but I'll show up at seven and help them get ready," she replied, and again, he nodded.

"Looking forward to it," he deadpanned, and she chuckled.

Maybe, they would get along just fine after all.

Author's note: Enjoy! Xx


	4. Chapter 4

Barry eventually bade Caitlin goodnight, leaving her to get ready for bed after a long day. She took a hot shower, washing away the events of the day from her body, before slipping into her comfiest sweats and tank top. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she climbed into bed, opened her Twitter app once more, and began to scroll through the comments of her latest post.

Oh my god, you're doing a Q & A? I have SO many questions I'm absolutely DYING to ask you. #Foreverfreakingout

You guys, Caitlin Snow is the most down-to-earth, real actress there is. The way she engages with her fans is simply amazing. #Caitlinisthebest

On and on the comments went and Caitlin felt touched with how nice and appreciative her fans were with their words. Well, the majority of them. She came across one comment that had her doing a doubletake.

When will Caitlin Snow realize she's nothing more than a used actress for her not so good acting? The Widow in the Window was the worst film to date this year and she can only get worse from here. #StopCaitlin

Rolling her eyes at the absurdity of the comment, Caitlin shut off her phone and placed it on her charger. She had developed a thick skin at a tender age, so a mean comment by a disgruntled fan did little to her self-esteem, not when there were too many positive ones to counter the one negative one with. Turning away from her phone, Caitlin pulled her duvet up and over her body and closed her eyes, slipping into a peaceful sleep.

XXX

It was a loud banging that woke her up in the next morning and for one, long moment, Caitlin was terribly confused as to what the sound was or where it was being issued from. It sounded again as the sleep left her befuddled brain. She yawned before sitting up and throwing the covers back. As she made her way out of the room, she realized the banging was insistent knocking. Sighing, she walked to her door, peeking out of her peephole, before opening the door only to find herself facing a very infuriated looking Felicity.

"Morning, Felicity," Caitlin greeted calmly, and Felicity stalked her way in, throwing her bag down in a huff. She loved her publicist, she really did, but sometimes she was too much to handle with her dramatics. Like, at seven-thirty in the morning, when Caitlin hadn't had a cup of coffee yet, for example.

"Don't you 'morning, Felicity' me, Caitlin," Felicity warned, and Caitlin rolled her eyes, making her way to her espresso machine and turning it on. Whatever conversation Felicity so desperately wanted to have seemed like Caitlin would need a little backup with.

As the espresso machine came to life, Caitlin watched the liquid filling her cup. She needed a remedy for how tired she was, not taking kindly to be woken up as early as she was on her day off. Just then, another knock sounded, and Caitlin looked up through sleepy, narrowed eyes.

"Now, who the hell is that?" Caitlin grumbled, snatching her mug out from underneath her coffee machine and turning it off. She made her way to the door, peeked through the peephole once more, and sighed. Opening the door, she found herself face-to-face with Barry Allen. At least he has a shirt on this time.

"Good morning, Caitlin," he said, and she rolled her eyes.

"What's so good about it if I'm woken up before the crack of dawn?" Caitlin snapped, and Barry turned his head to look out the window.

"But…the sun is already up," he commented in confusion and she rolled her eyes. If she was going to deal with sheer idiocy, she definitely needed coffee in her system. Taking a sip, she tilted her head towards the kitchen, where Felicity was, inviting Barry in.

"I'm assuming Felicity called you?" Caitlin asked, and he just nodded.

"She's in here," was her only reply, before leading him into the kitchen. Once there, she leaned her back against her kitchen counter, cocking her hip to the side. She looked at Felicity.

"Well, Felicity, since you have successfully woken me up before I was ready to be awake, may I ask what you're doing here so early on my day off?" Caitlin asked calmly, taking another sip of her coffee.

Felicity's eyes narrowed. "I thought I told you to run everything you post on social media by me?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Caitlin asked in confusion, ignoring her friend's blatant disregard to her right to express whatever she wanted on her social media. Felicity fished her phone out of her purse and pulled up Caitlin's Twitter, going to the tweet she had made the night before about the Q & A.

"Not only did you say you're doing a Q & A without telling me, you're now getting threats from fans," Felicity hissed, and Caitlin snorted.

"Threats? If you're referring to the guy who said hashtag "Caitlin needs to be stopped", then you need to settle down. It was one disgruntled fan, Licity," she explained.

"Yeah, no, that's a threat, Caitlin," Felicity exclaimed. "And it doesn't stop there. This particular Twitter handler tweeted you over one hundred times in the span of twelve hours. All of the tweets getting progressively worse!"

Caitlin blinked. "Let me see."

She held her hand out and Felicity hesitated. "Let me see your phone, Felicity."

Sighing, Felicity dropped her phone into Caitlin's outstretched hand, and Caitlin looked at the comments. To Felicity's credit, they all had gotten progressively worse. The guy was calling her out for being a horrible role model, having terrible acting skills, and even going as far as warning her to not step a toe out of line since he'd be watching her. Caitlin fought off the nausea she felt by rolling her eyes and handing the phone back to Felicity who, in turn, handed it to Barry, while boring a look of consternation.

Barry studied the tweets, face impassive, before handing the phone back to Felicity and looking at Caitlin.

"I don't know where you learned the definition of threats or lack thereof, but these are definitely threats, Caitlin," he said. She sighed.

"So what?" Caitlin asked.

"Excuse me?" Barry demanded, face stony.

"I said, so what? I'm not about to be afraid of some guy hiding behind a computer," she said scathingly.

Barry's eyes widened in surprise at her tone, before narrowing into slits. "You don't need to be so dismissive about this, Caitlin."

And, Caitlin knew that, she truly did. She also knew she liked living her life free of fear. Exhaling a sigh, she took another sip of her espresso, before looking at Felicity.

"What do you want me to do?" Caitlin asked.

"No more tweets without my approval," Felicity replied automatically, but Caitlin was already shaking her head.

"I won't give up my freedom, Licity," she said simply.

Felicity groaned. "Fine. Anymore threats you get, you will tell me about them."

Caitlin nodded. That was fair.

Felicity dropped the subject after that and Caitlin felt her stiff posture relax ever so slightly. She drained her coffee mug before heading to the sink and cleaning it out. As she washed the dish thoroughly, Felicity spoke up.

"You're still planning on going to Ronnie's party tonight, right Caitlin?" Felicity asked.

"Ronnie and Molly's," Caitlin replied, emphasizing Molly's name. Caitlin heard Felicity chuckle and she rolled her eyes fondly.

"You're going to be there, yes?" Felicity asked, and Caitlin heard Barry give his affirmative.

"Good," Felicity said. "Try not to drink too much, Caitlin. You have an interview with Ellen tomorrow."

"Yes, Mother," Caitlin sighed, and Felicity laughed. At least her bad mood had burned out.

XXX

Caitlin and Barry had arrived at Ronnie and Molly's house by seven sharp, with Caitlin ready and willing to do whatever it took to get the house ready for a party. Ronnie instructed her to put out the drinks and appetizers, which she gladly did, happy to help her friends out. Then, she made her way to kitchen to check on Molly and how she was doing, leaving Ronnie and Barry to talk amongst themselves.

Once in the kitchen, she spotted Molly frosting a cake that looked as delectable as it did gorgeous.

"Hey, stranger," Caitlin greeted from the doorway, eyes shining with happiness. Molly looked up, grinning.

"Caitlin, hey!" Molly exclaimed, laying down the tub of frosting and making her way towards Caitlin. The two women hugged, and Caitlin found herself relishing in her friendship.

"How have you been, Molly?" Caitlin asked, and Molly smiled.

"Good. Really good," she replied. "Ronnie and I are about to take our trip to Paris in a couple of weeks."

"I'm jealous," Caitlin said. "Pack me in your suitcase?"

Molly laughed. "If only. Ronnie is going to spend the majority of the trip stuffing his face while I try to get as many pictures as possible. I could use another girl there with me who'll enjoy the city for what it's worth."

"Well," Caitlin said. "It's gorgeous. And Ronnie, food or no food, is just happy to be with the woman he loves."

"Thanks, Cait," Molly replied, soft smile adorning her face at the mention of her boyfriend. It melted Caitlin's heart. She nodded.

"Now, where do you need me?"

XXX

By the time nine rolled around, Caitlin had had one too many cosmos, and she was definitely feeling the effects of it. She was laughing as she danced in the middle of the room, sandwiched between two guys, their hands roaming her body. Caitlin threw her head back and let laughter course through her as she swayed her hips. It wasn't until one guy got dangerously close to her ass did Barry step in, pushing him off her.

"That's enough," he snapped. Caitlin frowned as the guy held up his hands placatingly.

"Sorry, man, didn't know she had a boyfriend," he mumbled, before stepping away from them and heading off to find another beer.

"Barry, whydidyoudothat?" Caitlin slurred, mind fuzzy.

"Because, you're drunk and not able to make consensual decisions," he said simply.

"Icantoo!" Caitlin exclaimed, stamping her foot. He sighed in frustration.

"Let's go," he said.

She shook her head.

"Caitlin, I swear, if you don't come with me right now, I'll drag you out by your elbow," he warned.

"Stop treating me like a child, you…. you…killjoy! You're killjoy, Barry Allen!" Caitlin exclaimed.

"And you're acting like a child, Caitlin Snow," he said, placing his hand underneath her elbow and guiding her forward.

"Wait!" Caitlin gasped, realization splashing her in the face like cold water. "I've got to say goodbye to Rolly and Monnie!"

"Ronnie and Molly, you mean?" Barry asked, lips twitching briefly.

"Aha! Knew I was close!" Caitlin grinned happily. She pulled her arm out of her bodyguard's grasp and headed to the other side of the room where her favorite couple was at.

"Guys! Bye!" Caitlin squealed, and Ronnie looked at her in surprise, before smirking.

"How many cosmos did you have, Caitlin?" Ronnie asked in amusement.

"This many," Caitlin said, holding up five fingers.

"Have fun with that hangover, tomorrow," Ronnie winced in sympathy, and Caitlin just laughed. She was too happy to be bothered by the future. She simply nodded her head, waved at her friends, and let Barry led her out of the house, too busy making sure she wasn't going to trip and fall to notice the paparazzi snapping photo after photo of her.

Author's note: Alrighty, here is where we cue the plot. I hope you guys have been enjoying this story so far because we are about to be introduced to some drama and angst, because I love it. Caitlin is about to be a warrior queen though, so no worries. Enjoy the upcoming chapters and if there's anything you'd like to see, drop me a comment and I'll see if I can incorporate it into the story! Thank you! Xxx


	5. Chapter 5

The next thing Caitlin was aware of was the fact that there was sunlight pouring into the room she was in and she had an absolutely horrific headache from the moment she opened her eyes. Wincing against the harsh light burning into her retinas, Caitlin immediately threw the duvet over her head, shielding herself from the invasive sun. Her mouth tasted like ass and she was sure she was a sight for sore eyes if the amount of alcohol she barely remembered consuming the night before was anything to go by.

"Dammit," she cursed under her breath, a hiss being issued from her pursed lips. Her whole body felt like it had gotten hit by a freight train and she wanted to succumb to the beauty of sleep that wrapped it's arms around her tantalizingly. Just then, there was a knock on her front door.

"Go away," she moaned, having no patience to deal with the outside world. Another knock, firmer this time. Sighing, she threw her duvet back, swung her legs out of her bed, and pushed herself to her feet. Taking a moment to calm the dizziness that encompassed her, Caitlin reached for her robe, slipped it on, and made her way out into the living room just in time for a third knock to be issued. Not even bothering to glance out of her peephole, she yanked the door open.

"What?" Caitlin hissed, staring up at the visitor.

"Good morning to you, too, Sunshine," Barry drawled, making his way inside her apartment.

"Why yes, Barry, do make yourself at home," Caitlin said dryly, shutting the door as quietly as she could. Her headache was still bad enough to rattle throughout her skull from the sound of it.

Barry made his way towards her kitchen, Caitlin trailing after him. He shut the blinds in the kitchen and lowered the ceiling light to a dull glow. Then, he sat at the table.

"I had Andrew run out for coffee and breakfast tacos," he said by way of explanation as to what he was doing in her home. Caitlin quirked an eyebrow.

"Andrew doesn't take orders from anyone," she said.

"I can be persuasive," Barry replied simply. Dropping it, Caitlin sat down less than gracefully in the chair next to him and accepted the taco he handed her.

"Grease and coffee, man's best friend for world's worst hangover," he commented idly, and she winced.

"Use your indoor voice please," she muttered, accepting the coffee he handed her with a, "bless you". He chuckled lowly.

"So, you're clearly the life of the party if last night was anything to go by," Barry said, and Caitlin groaned.

"Can we just not relive the past? I barely remember the guy's I danced with name," she muttered.

"Actually, you danced with two. Mark and Max, best friends in the modeling industry," Barry clarified, and Caitlin took a sip of her coffee, relishing in the way the warm liquid soothed her parched throat.

"How do you know that?" Caitlin asked quietly, and he snorted, shooting her a disbelieving look.

"Really, Caitlin? I'm your appointed bodyguard and you're going to sit there and tell me you honestly expect me not to do a background check on the guest list?" Barry asked.

Caitlin's brow furrowed. "How did you get the list? I didn't even know who was going and I'm Molly and Ronnie's number one confidant."

"Where I can be persuasive, Felicity Smoak can be equally as persuasive," he replied, Cheshire grin unfolding lazily across his features. She found herself staring at his smile for a moment, noting how nice it looked. Jeez, where did that thought come from, Caitlin? Shaking her head to shut up her innate internal chatter, Caitlin took another sip of coffee to give herself something to do.

"I see," she said absentmindedly. Reaching behind her blindly, she snagged her phone from where she had dropped it onto the counter the night before and pulled her spare pair of glasses out of her robe pocket, placing them on the bridge of her nose.

"I didn't know you were glasses," Barry commented in surprise.

"That's because that's the way Hollywood wants to represent me," Caitlin commented nonchalantly, scrolling through her Instagram posts. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any photos from the party that she had posted without Felicity's consent but the paparazzi were a different topic altogether.

"God," she groaned, frowning unhappily.

"What?" Barry asked.

"The paparazzi got quite the show of us leaving last night," she said, turning her phone to show him TMZ's page. There, in the most current space for a new picture, was one of Caitlin stumbling around outside of Ronnie's house, stupidly big grin on her wasted face, Barry holding a hand to her elbow. Barry snorted at the image.

"Well, at least you didn't have puke in your hair," he commented, and Caitlin looked up at him, horrified.

"What?" Caitlin gasped, and Barry scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Uh, you may have thrown up in Andrew's car on the way home last night," he said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"And, the paparazzi wasn't anywhere near us?" Caitlin demanded.

"No," Barry assured her quickly.

"Thank God for small blessings," she sighed, placing her index finger and thumb to her temple and massaging it. "Felicity is going to kill me."

"I think she's just glad we made it home without a scene," Barry said. Caitlin waved the picture TMZ had gotten of her.

"Well, almost without a scene," he amended, lightly chuckling.

Caitlin sighed as she continued to drink her coffee. She knew she needed to take a shower, help wake herself up for the interview with Ellen where, she was quite certain, somehow the party would be mentioned.

"Caitlin?" Barry spoke up a moment later.

"Hmm?" Caitlin hummed, eyes closed.

"Those glasses bring out your eyes. Don't let Hollywood change you too much."

XXX

An hour and a half later and Caitlin was through drowning herself in the shower. Wrapping her fluffy robe around her, she padded her way into her bedroom, sitting down at her vanity. She looked at herself, noting the purple bags underneath her eyes and sighed. She was in for a long day.

She began drying her hair, trying to keep her stomach from rearing it's ugly head and expelling the breakfast tacos she had eaten a little over an hour ago. When her hair was dried impeccably straight, she put her face on, but opted to leave her glasses on, thinking back to Barry's comment. Then, she changed into a skirt and band t-shirt, very much like something she would have worn in college, before heading out of her room.

When she reached the living room, she spotted Barry texting, so she took the moment to check her emails. Junk, work, work, junk…what was that? Looking at an unknown sender, Caitlin bit her lip, debating if she should click on it. The subject read "your enjoyment only". Hesitantly, her thumb pressed down on the email, clicking it open. What she saw made her jaw drop. It was a picture of her, but she hadn't even been facing a camera. And, it wasn't a picture from the paparazzi or they would have just sent it to the magazines. What really got to Caitlin was she was running on the treadmill in her gym, eyes down, headphones in.

"Caitlin. Caitlin?" Barry called her, and she snapped out of her trance, quickly exiting out of the email.

"Hmm? Yes?" Caitlin asked, trying to shake off the nauseous feeling sweeping over her.

"That was Felicity. She wants us at the studios an hour early. We need to leave now," he explained, then stopped and studied her face. "Are you alright?"

She wondered what she looked like but didn't want to mention the photo that was sent to her, so just nodded. "Fine. Just checking emails. Nothing of importance."

He scrutinized her face for a long moment but she wasn't one of the most sought out actresses of her time for nothing. She kept her face impassive until he nodded, satisfied with what he saw.

"Alright, let's go," he said.

She placed her phone in her purse, making sure to double check the locks before leaving her apartment.

XXX

The experience with Ellen was one of a lifetime. Caitlin absolutely adored Ellen, and the other woman seemed to adore her, too. She didn't ask about the party or Ronnie once, surprising Caitlin, but leaving her happy beyond belief. They talked about her upcoming filming projects and if she was excited, (hugely!); They talked about if she was dating anybody, (did Orlando Bloom count?). Over all, it was a great experience and Caitlin was more than willing to come back again once Ellen asked her to.

When they cut for the end, Ellen looked at her.

"You did great, Caitlin," she grinned, and Caitlin ducked her head down shyly, embarrassed smile twitching her lips upwards.

"Thanks, Ellen," she replied. "It's always been a dream to be on your show."

"Well, I've been a huge fan since your first Indie film, Out of Time. I still watch it at least twice a year with my wife," she said, and Caitlin's smile grew more pronounced.

"Thanks," she murmured. She took one last sip of the coffee Ellen gave all of her guests, before walking off stage to where Felicity and Barry were waiting.

"Way to go, Snow," Felicity congratulated her.

"Thanks, Licity," Caitlin said, smiling at her friend.

Barry, per usual, was standing tall and tense; posture stiff. He always seemed poised for an attack and she wanted to remind him that it was the Ellen show. No harm here.

"I've got to get to my dressing room," Caitlin said, and Felicity nodded. The three of them began to walk towards her dressing room, talking the whole way.

"So, now you're officially on vacation for a couple of weeks before filming starts up next month," Felicity said, and Caitlin grinned.

"Fantastic, I am looking forward to going to London," Caitlin said.

"Ah, yes, your solo trip to London. You should've just gone with Ronnie and Molly to Paris," Felicity teased.

"As fun as that would have been, I so would not have wanted to have been around them when they got little heart emojis in their eyes," Caitlin laughed, bumping her shoulder with the blonde's. She heard Barry laugh and try to disguise it as a cough and looked at him.

"It's true and you know it," she said, and he rolled his eyes, lips twitching. That was something she had noticed about Barry. While able to get to a certain level of happiness, he never fully let himself go and just enjoy the moment. She vowed to work on that.

"Well, apart from Barry, you'll have all of London by yourself," Felicity chirped, and Caitlin winced, still not completely over her hangover.

"Thanks," she said.

"And, don't think you're getting out of trouble for the little stunt you pulled last night," Felicity added and Caitlin sighed, wondering when her publicist was going to bring up the wild night from before.

"I'm sorry, Licity, truly," she said.

"It's Andrew who deserves the apology more than me," she replied.

"I know. Which is why I already apologized to him profusely and promised an autograph from Ellen," she said, tapping the headshot she had placed very, very carefully inside of her purse. Felicity nodded, seemingly appeased.

"Good," she said, smiling slightly. "We'll wait out here for you while you get your stuff."

Caitlin smiled and headed into her dressing room, noting the roses on the makeup vanity. She smiled softly at them, wondering who on the show had placed them there. Not noticing a card, she shrugged it off, and picked them up, along with a box next to them, before walking out of the room.

"What is the box and who are the roses from?" Barry's first question caught Caitlin by surprise.

"Relax, Barry. I don't know, okay? Probably just someone on the show's staff or something," she replied. He paused, then held his hands out for the box. She huffed but passed it to him. What happened next no one expected. He pulled out a bloody scarf and Caitlin suddenly found herself grabbing onto Felicity's arm for support. Felicity helped her stay upright. Caitlin looked at Barry and he her, and an understanding passed through them.

The twitter handler who tweeted her, the scarf and roses; she had a stalker.

Author's note: Enjoy! Xxx


	6. Chapter 6

Caitlin, who was always so good at repressing bad things in her life, accepted the fact that she had a stalker as easily as she could. She let Barry take the bloody scarf off her hands, along with the roses, before turning to Felicity.

"What else do I need to do today?" Caitlin asked, mind still comprehending what happened. Felicity quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Uh, Caitlin," she said, voice gentle. "Don't you think you should address the issue at hand here?"

Caitlin shrugged. "Nothing to address, Felicity. You were right: now that I'm in the height of my career, I've got some crazed fan out there. It's not the end of the world, I'll just have to be on my guard."

Felicity stared at her for a long moment, debating what she had said, before sighing. "I just…I don't want anything to happen to you. You're my friend."

"I know that. I promise to be careful," Caitlin assured, squeezing her shoulder gently. Barry, who had been quiet during the whole exchange, cleared his throat and Caitlin looked at him.

"I'm going to need a list of everyone who was in and out of Caitlin's dressing room today, Felicity. Think you can manage that?" Barry asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone. Caitlin frowned.

"Barry, there's no need to snap at Felicity – this isn't her fault," she reminded him, but he remained stony-faced.

"If we all hadn't been so caught up in watching your interview, this could have been prevented, Caitlin," he said. "I'm not only disappointed with Felicity, I'm disappointed with myself."

Caitlin rolled her eyes. She knew it would be useless to try to convince her bodyguard to not be annoyed with the situation. She shrugged.

"Alright," she said. "Just know, I'm not disappointed in anybody."

"That's because you like to see the good in everybody," Barry said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Caitlin demanded.

"Nothing. Just the fact that you're too trusting for your own good," Barry sighed in frustration, and Caitlin bit her tongue to prevent her from spewing out sharp as knives words that she'd later regret. She folded her arms across her chest as Felicity went off to make a list of the people who went into her dressing room for Barry. She came back about five minutes later, handing a slip of paper to the stoic man.

"That's all I saw," she said, voice hushed. Caitlin rolled her eyes as Barry scanned the list, eyes narrowing the further they traveled down it.

"There's only five people on here, Felicity," he said, and Felicity sighed, shoulders hunching inwards.

"I know. I wasn't keeping an eye on the room and I'm sorry," she murmured, contrite expression etching itself across her face.

No, that was enough.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Felicity," Caitlin spoke up, tone firm. She leveled Barry with a glare, daring him to argue with her. In turn, he just sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Alright, this is as good as it's going to get, I can tell. But for future notice, someone needs to be around her dressing room at all times," Barry said, and Felicity nodded.

"I can do that," she assured him, and he nodded once, mouth set in a grim line while Caitlin was left to wonder when she was reduced to a child who needed to be looked after.

XXX

The rest day passed by awkwardly for Caitlin. Barry was shadowing her everywhere she went without even trying to bother himself to remain inconspicuous, and Felicity was bustling around, trying to make sure everything got attended to before Caitlin left the following day for London.

Barry had tried to talk her out of the trip, saying it wasn't safe, but he would only win that argument when Hell froze over. Twice. So, here she was, nine in the evening, and packing. As she laid clothes down into her suitcase, she tapped her foot to the music emanating from her Spotify playlist. Lately, she had taken to listening to under the radar indie artists and really digging the music they came up with. As she sang along to the song that was currently playing, there was a knock on her door and she looked up, mid lyric, to spot Felicity standing outside of her bedroom door.

"I brought you tea," her publicist said, and Caitlin smiled. After the day she had, she needed it.

"Thanks, Licity," she said gratefully, accepting the tea cup from her friend. Felicity leaned against the doorjamb, looking at the suitcase wistfully.

"I wish I was going with you," she said, and Caitlin sighed.

"Me too. I could really use a girls trip right about now," Caitlin admitted.

"Just think of all the fun you'll have with Barry," Felicity teased, smirk toying at her lips. Caitlin huffed and threw a shirt she was leaving behind at the blonde.

"You're hopeless," Caitlin said, and Felicity just cackled.

By the time she was through packing, Caitlin was ready to retire for the night but Felicity had a few more things to tell her.

"Now, Cait, don't forget that your plane leaves at five sharp so Andrew will pick you up at three tomorrow morning. Barry will be ready and waiting for you," Felicity stated, and Caitlin nodded. Felicity continued.

"Have a good time, don't get too drunk in a pub, and take lots of photos, you little photographer," Felicity said, and Caitlin huffed.

"I won't get too drunk," she reiterated with a roll of her eyes and the blonde smirked.

"Yeah, right," Felicity laughed, and Caitlin shrugged.

"Well, it was worth a shot," she added.

By the time it was all said and done, it was going on eleven at night and Caitlin wanted to get a least a few hours of sleep before she had to wake up and get ready. She shooed Felicity out of her apartment with one final wave, then turned off all the lights in the main part of her apartment before heading back into her bedroom with a fresh cup of tea.

It wasn't long before she was asleep, dreaming of her trip.

As she slept soundly, she was acutely unaware of the feverish clicking of a camera coming from the building across from her. Had she been aware, she might have noticed the person behind it. But, she did not. And that would come to haunt her later.

Author's note: Super short chapter tonight, sorry. (Not sure if you guys have noticed but I've been writing longer chapters). Anyways, pretty tired but wanted to get my chapter up. Hope you like it and reviews are lovely. Will get back to longer chapters next time. Enjoy. XXX


	7. Chapter 7

Barry was at her apartment the following morning by no later than two-thirty and she was grumbling to herself as she went to go answer the door. Yawning into her elbow, she looked up at her bodyguard who looked far too awake at this unearthly hour.

"I brought coffee," he said, holding up two cups.

"You…went on a coffee run at two in the morning?" Caitlin asked bemusedly, letting him into her apartment. He shook his head.

"I texted Felicity last night to see if she could convince Andrew to pick up coffee on the way and then I went down and got it when he got here," Barry explained. Caitlin sighed.

"Barry, you can't keep expecting Andrew to drop everything he's doing to be at your every whim," she said, finally accepting the coffee cup he held out to her. Taking a sip, she sighed in relief when Andrew had gotten her order right – then again, he had never messed it up before.

"He didn't seem to have a problem with it," Barry shrugged, indifferent.

"Ah, you think that now but I bet he's secretly planning your death for making him wake up even earlier than he already had to," she said wisely.

Barry snorted. "My death?"

"Who knows, Allen, he could just be waiting to run you over with his car at the exact right moment," she sipped her coffee nonchalantly as he stared at her, uncertain as what to say. Caitlin chuckled.

"I may have watched an episode of a crime documentary on Netflix last night," she said, and Barry sighed.

"Little depressing, don't you think?" Barry asked, but Caitlin shrugged.

"The world still has some good to it," she said softly, nodding to herself once as if to prove her point. Barry didn't seem to deem that an answer worthy response, so didn't say anything, and Caitlin was relieved. She really needed to get ready for their flight. Tilting her head towards her bedroom, Caitlin indicated she'd be back out in a bit. Then, carrying her coffee with her like it was her own personal life preserver, Caitlin went to go change into comfortable travel wear.

XXX

By the time Caitlin and Barry showed up at the airport, it was already filled with people. Barry kept a light hand on Caitlin's elbow as she led the way to their terminal. Luckily, the sunglasses she had on, along with the hat, seemed to be helping protect her identity, however pretentious she looked at the moment.

When they reached their terminal, Caitlin looked around, spotting a Starbucks.

"I'm going to go get another coffee. I'll be back," she said, but instead of waiting for her to come back, Barry just followed her wordlessly as she made her way to the coffee shop. There, she got in line, patiently waiting for her turn. She turned to Barry.

"Be honest: do I look hungover because of the sunglasses?" Caitlin whispered, and Barry chuckled.

"If I didn't actually know what you looked like while really being hungover, I'd say yes. But, no, you don't," he assured, and she grinned.

"Thanks," she said softly, turning to look at the barista who was waiting to take her order.

"Iced latte please, double shot espresso," Caitlin said politely.

"And for your boyfriend?" The barista asked.

"Oh, no, he's not my boyfriend," Caitlin said, looking anywhere but at Barry. The barista brightened considerably.

"Well, in that case, I'm Ashely. And, you are?" Ashely asked, coy smirk in place. Caitlin's eyebrows shot up and she chanced a glance at Barry to see his stoic expression back in place.

"A man who would like to order a coffee without being hit on, thank you," he said stiffly, and Caitlin had to turn her cheek to hide her smirk. Ashely seemed highly affronted and took his order, punching in the correct information rather aggressively into the computer. When she was through, she told Caitlin the total, and Caitlin was getting ready to hand her a credit card when Barry swatted her hand away.

"I got this, Caitlin," he said, and she looked at him in surprise before smiling.

"Thanks," she said, careful not to say his name.

"Caitlin…as in Caitlin Sn-?" Ashely began to ask excitedly but Barry cut his eyes to her.

"Draw attention to her and your boss will be facing a very heavy lawsuit for unwanted harassment," Barry said quietly, and Caitlin wondered why she felt a shiver run through her at his tone. Ashely just nodded meekly.

"Here's your coffee," she said softly, looking contrite. Barry accepted it with a word of thanks, before guiding Caitlin back to their terminal. Caitlin tried to turn and send the poor girl an apologetic smile but she was already helping the next customer.

"You didn't have to be so harsh, you know," Caitlin commented as they sat down in the terminal. Well, she sat down; Barry stood rigidly behind her, watching everyone as they came and went passed their gate.

"She doesn't need to be drawing attention to you for a multitude of reasons, least of all being the fact that it's too damn early to deal with fans," Barry replied, hints of a smile tugging at his lips. Caitlin shook her head fondly. She had the strangest suspicion that she and Barry were going to end up being friends before the whole thing was said and done.

XXX

They landed in London a little over thirteen hours later, with Caitlin having slept through some of the flight. The other part she stayed awake to read, or have a mimosa, or play a game of Solitaire with Barry, who chuckled every time she kept missing obvious plays because of the effects of her mimosas.

When they got off the plan, Caitlin was a little less than sober and stumbled slightly. Barry immediately latched onto her arm, keeping her upright, and she smiled gratefully at him.

"My hero," she teased, cheeks warm and rosy. Barry rolled his eyes.

"You're drunk. Again," he said.

"Only like, this much!" Caitlin exclaimed, holding her index finger and thumb barely a couple of inches apart. Barry's lips twitched upwards.

"You're a mess," he said.

"Ah, it's vacation. I don't have to film for two whole weeks. Live a little!" Caitlin said happily. "Man, I want a slice of pizza."

"We'll check into the hotel and then we can go get some. Or, we can order some up. I think your best option is sleeping a bit before we do any sightseeing," Barry said, looking around for a ride that didn't seem to be there. Cottoning on, Caitlin chuckled.

"Andrew's not here, Barry. We're going to have to take a cab," she explained, and he sighed deeply.

"I was afraid of that," he muttered, before hailing one down, and ushering her inside of it once it jerked to a stop by the curb.

XXX

By the time they got to the hotel, Caitlin was a little more clearheaded. Still drunk, but not as much. She told Barry as such and he just rolled his eyes amusedly.

"Yeah, yeah, let's get inside so we can eat. Then you can take a nap," he said.

"But, I don't want to take a nap, I want to go see Big Ben!" Caitlin exclaimed, and Barry laughed.

"We're here for roughly two weeks. We have plenty of time to get in all the sights," he assured her softly, and Caitlin nodded.

"Your laugh is nice," she complimented abruptly, and he looked at her. "I meant to tell you that when we were getting coffee at the airport. Your laughter is nice."

Barry looked decidedly uncomfortable and cleared his throat, before nodding once. "Uh, thanks."

"You're welcome," Caitlin said simply, before opening the hotel door and walking into her room. She flopped down onto the bed less than gracefully, kicking her shoes off.

"Alright, pizza time," Caitlin declared, and Barry nodded once.

"What kind?" Barry asked, and Caitlin thought about it.

"Sausage and extra cheese, please," she said. Barry stepped out into the hallway to order it and Caitlin started scrolling through her twitter, looking to see if anyone had released a statement about her being at the airport. Luckily, she seemed to have gone undetected, and smiled at the victory. She then opened her Instagram account and walked out onto the balcony, snapping a picture of the city with her camera and uploading it to her account with the simple hashtag Heaven.

Barry came back in the same time she walked back into the room and flopped back down on the bed.

"Pizza will be here in about twenty minutes," he said, and she grinned.

"Thank God, I'm starving," she replied.

They fell silent then, each absorbed in their own thoughts before Caitlin asked a question that had been on her mind.

"Hey, Barry? Do you have any family?" Caitlin asked, and she heard the sharp intake of air, and realized she might be digging into something she wasn't supposed to. Suddenly, she felt ten times soberer. Sitting up, she crossed her legs underneath her and looked at him carefully. His expression was guarded but tinged with a hint of pain. She blinked, and the pain in his eyes was gone, a simple mirage of what she thought she saw.

"Yeah," he said simply, disclosing no more information about it. She nodded, recognizing the time to not pry.

"Okay," she said softly. She got off the bed and grabbed a water bottle out of her fully stocked fridge, uncapping it and taking a sip as she went to look out the window once more. Sometimes, she felt overwhelmed by the sheer pressure she had on her shoulders to not make one mistake, much like the mistake TMZ caught on camera. Luckily, it hadn't hit the world too hard that she was, in fact, human, and entitled to mess up right along with rest of them. Still, she led by example.

She could feel Barry's eyes on her and looked up.

"What?" Caitlin asked curiously.

"Just wondering what you're thinking," he said.

"A little of this, a little of that," she shrugged, not disclosing her own information back to him. He studied her for a long moment before nodding.

"The pizza should be here soon," was all he said, and she nodded once.

XXX

Caitlin slept off the majority of her jet lag and woke up to the sun rising. Stretching, she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Peeking out into the main hallway in her room, she spotted Barry's door closed and noted he was most likely still sleeping. That gave her ample opportunity to drink coffee out on the balcony.

After she had made herself a cup with the complimentary espresso machine, Caitlin made her way out onto the balcony, sipping her coffee intermittently, and fighting off the hangover that had settled in around her from yesterday's beverages. She vaguely remembered Barry telling her that she should probably get some sleep instead of continuing to drink wine and by that point, she had agreed with him.

The door opened just then and Barry walked out in a muscle shirt and sweatpants.

"How're you feeling this morning?" Barry asked, pulling up a seat next to her with his own coffee mug.

"Fine. Coffee is working wonders for my soul," Caitlin said, laughing a little when Barry shot her an amused look.

"Good. What's on the agenda for the day?" Barry asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Sightseeing, firstly. I want to give my camera a workout if that's alright with you," she replied.

"Fine by me," Barry acknowledge, and she dipped her head a little in appreciation.

"Then, I just figured we could walk the streets, see what's happening in the city," Caitlin said. Barry shifted in his seat.

"I don't think walking the streets is that safe of an idea," he began but Caitlin interrupted him, stubborn.

"But you'll be with me, my stalker isn't in London, and I refuse to see the city out of cab windows," she said firmly, eyes boring into his. He looked at her for a long moment.

"Fine," he acquiesced. "Have it your way."

"I usually do," she teased, and he laughed. Again, it was a nice sound to hear. Caitlin shook her head fondly at her antics from the day before and sipped her coffee, excited about what was to come.

Author's note: Cue adorable times on vacation with our favorite pair. And then, some other people. Xxx


	8. Chapter 8

True to her word, Caitlin and Barry walked the streets of the city, stopping every time she saw a good opportunity to give her camera a workout. She took pictures of the art, the city, and the people residing in the city. Luckily, Barry was with her and stopped a few of the fans who came up to her from getting too demanding with her. However, for the most part, she enjoyed her time out in the city – even Barry seemed to be having a good time. He was smiling slightly, even though his shoulders remained tensed. (Again, was the guy always prepared for an attack?)

Caitlin and Barry continued to wander up and down the streets, laughing and talking the whole way. Caitlin was determined to make Barry less serious; less professional. She knew it was his job to make sure she was safe but she could do that just fine by herself. What she wanted him to focus on was being her friend. She told him as such.

"Barry?" Caitlin asked, pausing her finger above the shutter on her camera and looking at him. He looked at her in turn.

"Yes?" Barry asked, and she bit her lip, thinking.

"Do you think that maybe for today we can forget the fact that you're my bodyguard and just be friends?" Caitlin wondered, keeping her eyes on the space in front of her.

Barry sighed. "I don't know if I know how to be a friend, Caitlin."

That caused Caitlin to turn and stare at him, surprised. "Everybody knows how to be a friend, Barry."

He chuckled, rubbing a hand up his neck sheepishly. "I don't. I didn't have friends growing up."

That caused Caitlin's heart to ache and she lowered her camera to where it was resting against her chest. "Like, at all?"

"Does a woman who is more like family than anything else count?" Barry asked, and Caitlin nodded.

"Yes," she assured softly.

"Then, I suppose I have one friend," Barry amended his previous statement. It still wasn't enough to soothe Caitlin's anxieties over her bodyguard. She hitched a smile on her face.

"Well, now you have two friends," she said confidently.

"We're not about to go for brunch and mimosas are we?" Barry asked suspiciously, and Caitlin laughed.

"Nope, we're going to continue on with our day as planned but you can try and loosen up. Have some fun," she encouraged, and he looked at her skeptically before sighing.

"Alright," he muttered, lowering his shoulders a bit. They still looked stiff but at least they weren't as tight as the were a minute ago. Progress.

XXX

Caitlin snapped photo after photo of the city's architecture and landscape. She was in absolute Heaven and knew she wouldn't be coming down any time soon. When she got her heart's fulfillment for pictures, she looked at Barry.

"I don't know about you but I'm starving. Lunch?" Caitlin asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, I could eat," he replied, and she grinned. They made their way to a café sitting about ten minutes down the road and sat at a table. Caitlin took off her sunglasses, and Barry looked at her.

"What if people recognize you, Caitlin?" Barry asked worriedly, but she shrugged a shoulder.

"So what if they do? It's okay. True, I'm on vacation, but that doesn't mean I ignore my fans while here," she reminded him, and he nodded once, jaw set. She looked back to her menu, deciding what she wanted to order, when there was a throat clearing. Looking up, she spotted a girl no older than sixteen staring at her in awe.

"Are you…Caitlin Snow?" The girl asked, and Caitlin nodded, smiling back at her.

"That's me. What's your name?" Caitlin asked.

"Wendy. I absolutely adored you and Ronnie Raymond in that romantic comedy, When All Else Fails," Wendy replied, albeit shyly. She bit her lip for a moment, glancing around, before looking back at Caitlin.

"Think it'd be alright to get a picture?" Wendy asked, and Caitlin, while not necessarily wanting to have her picture taken while trying to enjoy lunch, (she'd much rather sign an autograph), smiled regardless.

"Sure, Wendy. Barry, do you think…?" Caitlin trailed off, and Barry got the hint. He nodded and stood up, accepting the phone Wendy handed him.

"Smile," Barry said, and Caitlin did as instructed. When Barry handed Wendy her phone back, Caitlin smiled warmly at her.

"Have a good day, Wendy," she said kindly, and the girl grinned.

"You too," she replied, before running off. Caitlin shook her head, chuckling slightly and sat back down, resuming looking at the menu. Once the waitress came over and took their order of grilled veggies and flatbread, Barry cleared his throat.

"Do you like being interrupted as often as you are, Caitlin?" Barry asked, and she looked up at him.

"It's fine," she replied, shrugging her shoulder dismissively. "No big deal that people don't seem to care that I'd like to live my life normally once in a while."

And, Caitlin knew she sounded a bit bitter, but honestly, it couldn't be helped. While Wendy hadn't asked for anything huge, Caitlin had been hoping to be able to enjoy her lunch without needing to meet a fan's demand.

"Caitlin," Barry said quietly, and she sighed.

"Honestly, I love my fans. I love meet and greets, I love signing autographs, over all, I essentially love making them happy. But every once in a while I'd just like a breather, you know?" Caitlin asked, sipping her tea. Barry nodded.

"That seems fair," he replied, and she huffed out a laugh, irritated at herself.

"Look at me. A woman who has everything she can possibly dream of and she still gets a bit overwhelmed with the requirements that come with having everything," Caitlin sighed.

"There's nothing wrong with that, you know," Barry said quietly. "It is okay to want to step back and just have some time for yourself. You don't owe the world anything."

"You should try telling my manager that," she laughed.

"Fuck your manager," Barry said simply, and Caitlin wondered how he made it sound so easy. So easy to just go against everything she was taught. Their food arrived just then and Caitlin speared a piece of squash onto her fork and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly to savor the taste, (and buy herself sometime to avoid having to answer to that response).

"Well," Caitlin said at last. "It's fine. I'm used to it."

Barry studied her for a moment before nodding and returning his attention back to his plateful of food. They didn't say much after that.

XXX

By the time they were through sightseeing for the day, Caitlin wanted nothing more than to get back to the hotel and relax. She told Barry as such and soon they were on their way back, deciding to pick up croissants on the way.

When they got back, Caitlin had a multitude of emails to reply to, none of which seemed less than important. Sighing, she shrugged out of her sweater and kicked off her shoes, before making her way to the bed and sitting down, legs crossing underneath her.

"Do you want a croissant now?" Barry asked, and she nodded.

"Mhm, just give me a minute to answer these emails, please," she replied.

If Barry wanted to say something about the fact that she was on vacation, he bit his tongue and Caitlin was grateful. Tapping her screen with her thumb, she started scrolling through the emails, trying to deduce which ones held greater importance. Pausing briefly on one labeled X, Caitlin hesitantly opened it and saw a photo of her taking pictures in the distance. Staring at the email for a moment, she quickly deleted it before Barry could ask her what was wrong. Hurriedly, she checked the rest of her emails before tossing her phone to the side.

"Alright," she said, voice as calm as she could muster. "I'll take the croissant now."

Barry brought her one and she ate it out of something to do rather than hunger. The photo had diminished her appetite greatly. She didn't know who was behind the photos she had received thus far but she knew one thing: whoever it was, was bold enough to follow her to a different country. Just then, there was a knock at their hotel door and she looked up, watching as Barry went to go answer it. He came back a moment later.

"There was no one there, just this," he said, holding up a manila envelope. Caitlin looked at it warily, holding out a hand.

"Let me see it," she said, but he shook his head.

"Not until I see what's in here. There is no return label, Caitlin," Barry said firmly, before opening the envelope and pulling out the contents. She knew what they would be before he even showed her because of course her stalker would want her to have actual copies.

"Shit," Barry cursed underneath his breathe, studying the photo in his hands.

"Let me see, Barry," she said calmly, holding out a hand.

"I don't think -," he said, but she silenced him with a look.

"Barry. Let me see. Now."

Sighing, he handed over the photo and she studied it, willing herself to keep calm as she saw a picture of herself sitting on her bed in nothing but a t-shirt and underwear staring back at her. She quirked an eyebrow.

"He's getting bold; upgrading."

"Yeah, I – wait, what? What do you mean 'upgrading'?" Barry demanded, eyes narrowing. Sighing, Caitlin tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear, deciding how much she needed to tell him.

"My stalker has sent me a couple of other photos by email," she said, staring at him, daring him to be mad.

"And, you didn't think to mention this to me because…?" Barry demanded, folding his arms across his chest.

"Because it's not your problem," Caitlin replied defiantly.

"I'm your bodyguard Caitlin, this is my problem," he said sternly.

"I'm not a child, Barry! I don't need you protecting me," she snapped.

"It's my job!" Barry exclaimed, but she just shook her head mutely.

"I need some space. Please."

"Cait-," Barry said.

"Please."

He sighed and walked out of her room, picking up the photos she had discarded onto her bed on the way out. She pulled her legs up to her chest, staring around her room for a moment before jumping from the bed and darting to the window. She pulled the curtains closed tightly, not allowing even an inch of sunlight to filter into the room. She needed to protect herself from prying eyes.

Sighing, she went back to her bed, and picked up her phone, shooting a text to Felicity, explaining, in no great detail, that her vacation would probably be ending a bit sooner than she originally planned.

After hitting send, she shut her phone off, went and changed into workout clothes, grabbed her iPod, and called out to Barry, saying she was going for a run. He was next to her in a moment, lacing up his own shoes.

"I want to go by myself," Caitlin frowned, but he shook his head.

"I'm sorry Caitlin, but I can't allow that. Not when your safety is on the line," he murmured apologetically, and Caitlin threw her hands up in the air, annoyed.

"Fine, you win. Let's go," she said. She led the way out of the hotel room and down to the lobby, before setting a brisk pace for a run. She loved to run. It gave her ample opportunity to forget all of her problems and just let her feet carry her to their destination. She ran for a solid forty-five minutes, Barry keeping up with her, and by the time they looped back to the hotel, she was out of breath.

"Feel better?" Barry asked as she bent over knees and breathed deeply.

"Yes," she sighed. "Sorry I snapped at you. I just don't like being babysat."

"I'm not trying to babysit you, Caitlin, and I want us to be friends; however, I can't forget the fact that Felicity hired me to be your bodyguard. I can't just forget my job. Especially now that someone is harassing you," he said quietly, frown in place. Caitlin studied him for a long moment, giving her heart a chance to slow down while her brain worked a mile a minute. Eventually, she nodded her head.

"Alright," she whispered. "We do this your way."

And with that, she walked back into the hotel, ready for a shower and then a glass of wine.

Author's notes: I envision Barry as this really strict guy in this storyline. He'll loosen up as it progresses but he's not here to be sweet. So, I might toy around with ideas of making him a little less than how he is portrayed on the show. Especially since this is an AU. Hope you enjoy this chapter. XXX


	9. Chapter 9

Caitlin, true to her word, enjoyed a glass of wine before bed. It helped her to unwind and relax from the stressful events of the day. She did, however, question if she was using the best coping mechanism when it came to helping herself relax. Sighing, she took another sip of her wine, staring unseeingly into the wine glass. Just then, someone cleared their throat, pulling her out of her reverie, and she looked up.

"Barry," she greeted him, dipping her head in acknowledgement. Barry made his way towards her, sitting down on the sofa next to her. He frowned when she went to go refill her wine glass.

"You'll get a headache," he warned, but she shrugged a shoulder, not much in the mood to worry about that. She took another sip of her wine, sighing as she closed her eyes.

"Where's your head at, Caitlin?" Barry asked quietly, and she opened her eyes, looking at him.

"What do you mean?" Caitlin asked, brow furrowed.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," Barry chastised gently. "You know full well I'm checking in with how you're doing after receiving the picture this afternoon."

Caitlin shrugged a weary shoulder. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it, is there?"

Barry appraised her for a long moment before clasping the stem of her glass and removing it from her hand.

"Listen to me, Caitlin. I am not going to let this guy get away with stalking you," he said firmly, tone booking no room for argument. She stared at him, trying to get a sense of relief to wash over her. Instead, all she felt was a deep exhaustion nestling itself inside of her bones and making a home for itself there. Sighing, she nodded her head, more out of something to do than actually agreeing with what he had said.

"Alright," she murmured, allowing him to place her wine glass on the table – it suddenly didn't seem as appealing as it did a moment ago. They sat there, in relative silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Caitlin thought about how her stalker was getting risky. He didn't seem to care that he had to follow her to another country to terrorize her. Well, attempt to terrorize her. She wasn't going to break that easily under the pressure he was applying.

"What are you thinking?" Barry asked quietly a few moments later, and she blinked, looking at him.

"I'm just thinking that I'm really rather frustrated with this situation," she said, sounding tired even to her own ears.

"Caitlin, I promise, no, swear, we will catch this guy," Barry reiterated, and she sighed.

"You keep saying that but I don't see how that's possible," she muttered. "We're chasing a shadow."

"Have a little faith in me," Barry implored. "That's all I'm asking of you."

Perhaps it was the late hour; perhaps it was the wine swirling around in her, making her mind fuzzy; whatever it was, Caitlin found herself nodding a moment later.

"Alright," she murmured. "I trust you."

Barry nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer, and Caitlin tucked her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms round them and holding them close. She could feel Barry's eyes on her and knew he had a question he was bursting to ask. Sighing, she looked at him.

"What?" Caitlin asked softly, and he hesitated, biting his lip.

"Why do you always go to alcohol after a stressful day?" Barry finally asked. Caitlin couldn't detect any hints of anger or judgement in his tone, just honest curiosity. It made her reply less sharp than she originally thought it'd be to a question like that.

"I don't know," she murmured, eyes staring at the floor. "It makes me feel better."

"I get that, I do. However, you must know that as an actress you're in the limelight on a daily basis. You're micromanaged for every little, miniscule detail about your life. Take Ronnie and Molly's party for example. Can you honestly say you're proud with the way TMZ got those photos of you?" Barry asked quietly.

Caitlin jutted her chin out defiantly. "What are you, my dad?"

"No," Barry said simply. "I'm just someone who thinks you've been sad for far too long and keep putting on a brave face because that's what the world expects of you."

Caitlin sighed. Since when had her bodyguard become well versed in the art of reading her?

"How much are you charging for this session, doc?" Caitlin asked sarcastically, because that's what she did when things got too personal, too fast: put her shield up.

Barry studied her for a long moment, taking in everything about her, before sighing.

"First one is on the house," he muttered, and Caitlin knew he was ending the discussion. She smiled gratefully, dipping her head towards him in appreciation before glancing at the wine bottle on the coffee table. It'd be so easy, so deliciously tempting to have a few more sips, really make herself numb. However, she knew she couldn't run away from her problems, no matter how hard she tried.

Tilting her head towards the manila envelope that housed her latest picture her stalker had captured, Caitlin addressed Barry. "What are we going to do about that?"

"We're not going to do anything. I'm going to do my job and make sure this doesn't happen again," Barry said seriously. So seriously, in fact, it sent a chill up Caitlin's spine and she wondered, not for the first time, how Barry Allen came to be a bodyguard.

"You know, there's something I'm curious about," she said, looking at him questioningly.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Barry asked.

"How you became a bodyguard?" Caitlin asked, and Barry sighed.

"That's a story for a different day," he mumbled. "If ever."

She looked at him, wondering what secrets were lurking beneath the surface. Not everyone was who they claimed to be. Her stalker, whoever he was, was proving that much to her.

Sighing, she nodded her head.

"Alright," she acquiesced. "A story for a different day."

XXX

When Barry left her for the night, she said she was going to stay out in the living room part of their suite. She wanted time to think. He nodded and bade her a goodnight, telling her he was only in the other room if she needed him. She smiled as much as she could, watching his retreating back. Once he was inside of his room with the door shut behind him, she leaned back onto the couch, closing her eyes and rubbing a weary hand over her face. Whoever the hell was stalking her was giving her anxiety that she hadn't dealt with in a long time. Not since her parents divorced.

She thought longingly of the days when she would resort to harmful tactics that helped ease the burden placed on her shoulders. A razor blade went a long way in her youth. Thankfully, those days were behind her and makeup worked wonders for her scars but still. She sometimes craved the feeling of the cool metal against her skin.

Sighing, she shook her head, riding herself of the negative thoughts. She knew Felicity would one hundred percent kill her if she came back with new battle wounds. Not to mention all the explanations she'd have to come up with to pacify her bodyguard. No, it was simply easier to not give into the craving.

XXX

She wasn't sure at which point she started dozing off but she woke up almost immediately to the sound of a door shutting. Sitting up abruptly, Caitlin looked around, trying to control the hammering in her heart.

"Hey, sorry," Barry said softly, and she looked at him, only to notice he was the one who had shut the door.

"Did you go somewhere?" Caitlin asked, trying to get her bearings back.

"Just out into the hallway. The front desk called up to say they delivered a package," he replied.

"I didn't hear the phone ringing," Caitlin said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"I told them to direct all calls to my cellphone," Barry explained, and Caitlin nodded. That would do it.

"Well, what's the package?" Caitlin asked, tilting her head towards the envelope in his hands.

"I don't know if you really need to know," he began, but Caitlin held a hand up to silence him.

"I understand it's your job to act like a bodyguard and fine, whatever, I accept that. What I don't accept, however, is you purposefully withholding information from me," she said, tone booking no room for argument. He was handing over the envelope a moment later, frown washing over his face. She accepted the envelope from him and emptied out the contents onto the couch. What she saw didn't make her as afraid as she felt like it should.

Staring at the old review clippings from past movies, she addressed Barry. "Looks like he's been following my career for a while."

"And, that doesn't bother you?" Barry asked quietly, and she shrugged a shoulder.

"I can't help it either way," she muttered. Barry eased himself down on the couch next to her and clasped her hands in his.

"Caitlin, I really need you to hear me when I swear to you that I'll find this guy and end him myself," he said firmly. Caitlin stared at their hands, then his eyes, then his lips. Perhaps it was the residual effects of the alcohol causing her to not think straight, but she was leaning in towards him a moment later. She paused right when she reached his lips, and hesitated.

"You've come this far, don't grow shy on me now, Cait," Barry whispered, and Caitlin grinned, before brushing her lips across his. She'd be lying to both him and she if she said she hadn't thought about doing that since they met for the first time. When they pulled apart, Barry looked at her.

"Was that you or the wine kissing me?" Barry asked quietly, and Caitlin smiled softly.

"Me," she murmured.

He nodded. "Alright."

"Alright."

Their lips met again and they explored one another, tasting each other as their tongues danced. Caitlin's heart was beating pleasantly against it's confinement, and she nearly groaned when Barry tangled his fingers into her hair. Her lips parted of their own volition and she was murmuring sweet nothings into the kisses he was gifting her with. When the need for air became apparent, they pulled back, and Barry dropped a kiss to her forehead.

"Now what?" Caitlin whispered.

"For starters, we go public," Barry said, and Caitlin looked at him carefully.

"Are you sure you're willing to do that? Going public is like handing the reigns for your life over for all the world to have," she said softly, but he was nodding.

"I'm positive and I'll tell you why. For starters, hopefully it'll send a message to your stalker that I'm about to take no shit when it comes to your safety. Secondly, if going public gets you out of the partying scene for a bit, I'm all in," Barry said. Caitlin rolled her eyes fondly.

"Anything to not get me to dance the night away with random strangers," she sighed dramatically.

"Anything," Barry agreed, and she swatted him playfully on the chest, before biting her lip.

"What if we make my stalker angry?" Caitlin whispered.

"Fuck it," Barry said simply, and that was enough to ease Caitlin's worries. For now. Sighing, she nodded her head and let him maneuver them around on the couch to where he was leaning back into the cushions and she was laying on his chest. He threw the blanket that was resting on the back of the couch over them and dropped a kiss to her hairline.

"Get some sleep, Caitlin," he said, and she nodded, burrowing herself even further inside of his chest. For once, she didn't question the direction her life was going. She just allowed herself to be swept along for the ride.

Author's note: Yeah, I had just about enough of Snowbarry slow burn, so here's their first kiss. Cause I needed it in my life. Enjoy, lovelies! Xxx


	10. Chapter 10

Things changed after their decision for Caitlin and Barry. When they decided to venture out of their hotel room, they ventured out as a couple, not an actress and her bodyguard. However, Barry didn't act any different when it came to being her bodyguard just because they had decided to put a label to themselves. In fact, the security increased tenfold. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for his desire to make sure that she was safe because she was; her annoyance stemmed from the fact that she couldn't seem to catch a break from being in the public eye.

On the final morning of their trip, Caitlin and Barry came back into the hotel from a morning run, Barry having picked up the paper that was outside of their suite. After depositing the paper on the counter, Barry turned to give Caitlin a kiss before she headed off to shower.

"I'll be out soon," she said.

"Take your time," Barry encouraged, and she smiled, knowing that he didn't want her to feel like she had to rush. She nodded her head, placed a kiss to his jaw, and made her way to her bathroom in her room. Her eyes landed on her unmade bed and she smiled. Barry had taken to sleeping in her bedroom with her some nights. It wasn't every night but it was enough to make her heart expand. She didn't know how she was going to tell Felicity that she was dating her bodyguard; didn't know how she'd react, but she knew that she had to be honest with her friend.

Caitlin stepped into the shower and allowed the hot water to soothe her aching muscles from the run they took. She wasn't greedy with her time in the shower, instead choosing to use the allotted time she had given herself. After toweling off, she changed into skinny jeans and an old band t-shirt before making her way out of her room and into the living room. She spotted Barry standing in the middle of the room, brow furrowed as he stared at something in his hands.

"What's that?" Caitlin asked but she thought she had a pretty good idea as to what it could be by his disconcerting look alone. He shook his head.

"Nothing," he said quickly, too quickly.

"Barry," she warned.

"Honestly, Caitlin, it's nothing," he reiterated, but she wasn't about to accept that answer. Not when someone was screwing with her wellbeing.

"Barry, I swear, if you don't give me whatever it is you're holding this instant…" she said, threat dying down as he sighed and made his way towards her, handing over the photos when he reached her.

"Was that so hard?" Caitlin asked. He just grumbled and Caitlin shook her head as her eyes fell to the photos in her hand. They were of her and her eyes had been cut out.

"Holy shit." Caitlin gasped. Barry went to take the photos out of her hand but she tugged them towards her.

"Caitlin, I swear I will catch who's doing this," Barry vowed, but that's not what bothered Caitlin.

"You're not in these photos," she commented, and he frowned.

"Okay, and?" Barry asked. She bit her lip.

"These were taken last night at the restaurant we went to. Why did he just snap photos of me this time when you've been in them before?" Caitlin asked worriedly. Barry shook his head.

"Whatever you're worrying about, please don't. All I need you to do is promise me you'll look after yourself," he implored.

"What do you think I've been doing?" Caitlin countered, eyebrow quirked. Barry sighed.

"I think you've been acting like you're looking after yourself but in all honesty, you're still living the life you were," he said, tone desperate.

Caitlin didn't have it in her heart to scold him for telling her how to live her life. Not when he seemed so disturbed. Sighing, she loosened her stiff posture and walked towards him, winding her arms around his waist and laying her head against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat anchoring her.

"I promise you I will look after myself," she murmured, pulling back to stare at him in the eyes. He studied her and she kept her face open and honest so he knew she was serious. After a moment, he nodded, dropping a kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you," he murmured.

XXX

The next day dawned bright and early for them when they had to catch a flight back to the states. True to her word, Caitlin decided to put her lifestyle change into effect and be on her best behavior. That meant no mimosas on the way home, which ultimately meant she was clearheaded when they landed. As soon as they stepped outside of the airport, they were bombarded by news reporters and paparazzi.

"What the hell?" Barry muttered. He placed himself next to Caitlin, gripping her elbow and helping guide her forward to where Andrew was waiting. As soon as they slid into the car, Andrew stepped on the gas and they were out of there. It took Caitlin a moment to register Felicity was in the car with them.

"Licity, what was with the circus outside of the airport?" Caitlin asked. Felicity ignored her question and asked her one of her own.

"Is there something you two want to tell me?" Felicity demanded, and Caitlin felt her stomach flip. She gulped as she looked at Barry nervously. For his credit, he looked calm.

"Uh…" Caitlin trailed off, unsure of how to answer that question.

"No worries, Caity, I think I can answer my own question quite alright," Felicity said in a falsely cheery voice. She pulled out a magazine and thrusted it into Caitlin's surprised hands. Caitlin looked down at the front page to see a picture of Barry and herself, walking the streets of London hand-in-hand. She sighed.

"I was going to tell you, Felicity," she assured.

"I don't care if you were going to tell me or not, Caitlin. Do you know how bad this will look to whoever's stalking you? The fact that you're dating your bodyguard?" Felicity asked, and Caitlin's stomach dropped. She hadn't thought of it that way. Biting her lip, she tried to think of a response before Barry spoke up.

"If I may say something, Felicity. I'm not scared of this guy. If anything, he should be scared of me. I'm not going to let some guy behind a camera make me fear having a relationship," he said.

"And the professionalism?" Felicity queried.

"I can date and still be professional," he replied calmly.

"Not how I see it," Felicity snapped.

"Don't underestimate me," he said simply.

Felicity fell silent, eyeing him for a moment, before rolling her eyes.

"Whatever. Just make sure you keep doing your job," she muttered, fight clearly exhausting out of her.

Caitlin looked at Barry who just squeezed her hand gently. She nodded and leaned back into the seat. They'd be okay.

XXX

After Andrew made a detour to Caitlin's favorite Chinese restaurant, they were dropped off at Caitlin's apartment with Felicity in tow. The three of them made their way into the building, away from the paparazzi who were waiting outside of her home for her.

"God, they're like vultures," Caitlin muttered, keeping her head ducked down to hide her profile. Barry opened the door for them, ushering the two women inside before shutting the door. Not before a man tried blocking the door with his foot.

"Come on, Caitlin, just give us a quote," he begged.

"If you value that foot, you'd remove it from the door," Barry snarled, eyes darkening to almost pitch black in his anger. Caitlin watched as the man gulped, retracting his foot hurriedly. Barry slammed the door in his face and turned back to Felicity and Caitlin, supremely unconcerned with the fact that he just threatened someone.

Felicity whistled lowly. "Damn."

"Let's get upstairs," was his reply.

They headed for the elevator but were stopped by Dean's voice calling out to them.

"Caitlin," he greeted, and she turned, smiling at him.

"Hello, Dean," she replied.

"You have a good trip?" Dean asked, and she nodded.

"It was lovely, thank you," she said.

He looked at Barry briefly, who kept his face impassive. "It did seem like you had a good time."

Caitlin glanced at Barry before looking back at Dean. "Like I said, it was lovely."

"Well, don't let me keep you. I just wanted to say hello. Oh, hang on, you got a package delivered here," Dean said, reaching underneath the desk and pulling out a cardboard box.

Caitlin eyed it warily but accepted it regardless. "Thank you, Dean."

Then, she turned and headed to her floor, Barry and Felicity on her heels.

"I want to see what's in that box before you do," Barry said.

"We can look together," Caitlin replied, closing the topic. He groaned but let it go and she smiled in victory.

XXX

Once inside of her apartment, she set the food down on the counter before grabbing a knife and looking at Barry.

"Ready to open it?" Caitlin asked.

He nodded, jaw set. She sliced the tape away and pulled back the flaps of box, spotting several pieces of tissue paper.

"So far, just a shit ton of tissue paper," Felicity commented.

Caitlin pushed aside the tissue paper, fingers fumbling around something soft and silky.

"What the hell?" Caitlin muttered, pulling whatever it was out. She stared at the tie for a long moment, trying to figure out the importance of it.

"Turn it around," Barry said in a deadly voice.

She did as he said and her stomach dropped when she saw the word, "liar", painted onto it.

"Is that paint?" Felicity asked, but Barry shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said in a dangerously low voice, and Caitlin suddenly dropped the tie as if it had scalded her.

"Oh god," she whispered. She took steadying breaths, trying to keep the anxiety that she still dealt with at bay. Barry walked towards her, placing his hands on her cheeks.

"Look at me," he ordered softly, and she raised her eyes from tie that was painted in blood and looked at him.

"I'm calling the cops first thing and they'll come get all of the evidence we've gathered so far. As for what you do every day, you go nowhere without me, understood?" Barry asked in a firm voice.

Caitlin wanted to defy him; to tell him she didn't need to be babysat but a voice in the back of her head told her this was bigger than even she could handle. She simply nodded, throat constricting painfully. Barry pulled away from her, pulling out his phone and began dialing. Caitlin looked to Felicity once she found her voice.

"Felicity?" Caitlin asked lowly, and the blonde turned towards her.

"Yeah, Caity?" Felicity whispered.

"I want to take a self-defense class," Caitlin said, tone firm. Felicity studied her for a moment, before nodding.

"I'll talk to your trainer tomorrow, see who he knows. He might even be able to do it," Felicity replied. Caitlin nodded, wrapping her arms around her torso. She watched as Barry talked to the police, filling them in on everything, and sighed to herself. She was going to learn how to defend herself no matter what. Because this shit ended now. No ifs, ands, or buts. It was that comforting thought to herself that settled the raging storm of nerves inside of her and she felt like she could finally breathe a bit easier. It was going to be okay. It had to be.

Author's note: Here's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy! I also got a question about when I update and unfortunately, I don't have a set time. I try to do it at least a couple of times a week but I do have other stories I write as well and I try to balance them. But, that being said, I try to get chapters out in a timely manner. And, we've already been introduced to the stalker. Settle in for a bumpy ride, folks. XXX


	11. Chapter 11

Caitlin returned to set the following week once her vacation was officially over. With Barry in tow, she knew that things had changed exponentially. She was no longer a sought-out actress; she was the sought-out actress of Hollywood. That title, while being flattering in itself, didn't come without some disadvantages. Monday morning arrived bright and early and, for Caitlin, with insistent knocking on her door.

Open up, Caitlin, it's me -Barry

The pinging of her phone alerted her to a new text and she rolled over in bed, looking at it, before smiling slightly. At least her boyfriend was kind enough to alert her to the fact that it was him instead of just assuming she'd know. (Although, she totally did know). Throwing back the covers, she got out of bed, slipped on her favorite sweatshirt from her college days, and made her way to the door, opening it after checking through the peephole.

"Morning, Barry," she said, smiling warmly at him. He smiled back at her, before walking inside the apartment.

"Morning, baby," he replied, eyes taking in her appearance. Before she had time to feel self-conscious over the fact that she literally looked like she had just rolled out of bed, his grin softened.

"You look radiant in the mornings," he murmured, and her heart melted. He was anything if not smooth.

After a quick kiss, she made her way into her kitchen, turning on her coffee machine and began rummaging through her fridge and cabinets for something to eat. After finding a bagel and some cream cheese that wasn't past it's expiration date, she set about getting their breakfast ready.

"How'd you sleep?" Caitlin asked conversationally as she placed the bagels in the toaster. The coffee pot beeped and she poured herself a cup, along with one for him. Barry, who had decided to make himself useful, was busy getting out the cream and sugar for their coffees. He shrugged.

"Decent enough," he replied, tone betraying no emotion. She stilled her movements before turning to give him an inquisitive look, silently asking him to elaborate. He sighed.

"I would've slept better if we were in the same apartment," he admitted, and it was her turn to sigh.

"Babe, I love that you want to make sure that nothing happens but I have to be able to protect myself," she reminded him softly, knowing that that was the current issue between them. He didn't want her fighting her battles on her own; she didn't want him playing her knight in shining armor.

He made his way towards her, placing his arms on either side of the cabinet she was leaning against.

"What if I want to help you with that?" Barry murmured, breathing fanning over her face tantalizing. Unconsciously, Caitlin leaned closer towards him, chasing after the smell of peppermint that was emanating from him. She knew his cologne like she knew the back of her hand. He smirked and she licked her lips nervously, watching as his eyes followed her tongue. He leaned in as she leaned forward, desperate for infinitely less space between them. He smirked as he realized what she was after.

"And, what about what I want?" Caitlin whispered, acutely aware of just how little space there was left between their bodies.

"And, what might that be?" Barry asked lowly, thumb tracing the top of her lip. Just as she was about to say, 'screw it' and lean in for a kiss, the bagels popped out of the toaster, making her jump slightly.

"Saved by the bagels," she said.

"Don't you mean, "Saved by the Bell"?" Barry questioned, and she chuckled, pushing on his chest lightly to get him to back up a bit and give her space. He acquiesced immediately and with him not in her current bubble, she had room to think as she tended to the bagels.

"A vastly under appreciated show if you ask me," she replied, ignoring the erratic beating of her heart. He laughed.

"Agreed," came the reply.

Caitlin knew they weren't through with whatever it was that had just happened but she wasn't much worried about it. She glanced at her clock, noting the time, and looked at him.

"I've got to go get ready for set," she said, and he nodded.

"I'll make sure Andrew is ready," he replied.

XXX

By the time Barry and Caitlin made it to set, Caitlin had Andrew make a detour for her second latte of the morning. She knew that she was about to start working long shifts again and would need the caffeine boost to help her stay focused. As they made their way across the set's parking lot, Caitlin peeked up at Barry through her eyelashes. Out in the real world, he was her bodyguard. Stoic and stern. She knew what he was like behind closed doors however and it was that thought that eased the ache in her heart at the thought of him not getting to be his true self in public.

When they made it to the studios the film, Before the Lies Become Compulsory, was being filmed in, Caitlin and Barry stopped, looking around. Just then, Caitlin spotted Marcia, the director, walking towards her and grinned.

"Caitlin, babe," Marcia greeted her with a hug; one that Caitlin readily returned.

"Marcia, hi," Caitlin said, thin arms wrapped around the other woman's slender waist.

"You look great," Marcia complimented her, taking in her appearance. Caitlin grinned – she had started taking self-defense classes three days a week with her personal trainer, Jeff, and she knew that her muscles were becoming more prominent; more toned. Marcia eyed Barry who was standing next to them as stoic as ever.

"And, this is the boyfriend, correct?" Marcia asked, and Caitlin bit her lip as Barry frowned heavily.

"First and foremost, I'm her bodyguard, ma'am," he replied, frown sculpted into his features.

Marcia raised her eyebrows in surprise. "If that's your story."

Before Barry could reply, Marcia looked back at Caitlin.

"Well, Caitlin, we need to get you into makeup and then wardrobe. We're filming the final scene today, and then we'll move backwards with the rest of the scenes," Marcia explained, and Caitlin nodded her understanding. She had been in this industry long enough to know that movies often filmed sequences out of order.

"Also," Marcia continued. "They're announcing Emmy nominations today and I think you might be a contender for best actress after The Widow in the Window."

Caitlin blushed. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Marcia."

"Please kid, I haven't seen work that good since Juno. If you are nominated, which I'd be very surprised if you weren't, it's a nomination well earned," she replied.

Caitlin didn't say anything. She had never wanted to be the actress who thought she deserved anything just because of what talent she may possess. She loved her job – her craft. That was all that mattered to her.

Marcia whisked her away to the makeup department where the artist immediately began getting her ready for the scene she was filming that day. Coffee grasped in her hands, she looked at Barry who was standing at the door, muscles tensed. Once she caught his eye, she smiled softly and noted that his muscles loosened slightly. Victory.

XXX

By the time they finished filming for the day, the sun had set and Hollywood was alive with the night owls. Barry, who had been waiting for her outside of her trailer while she changed, looked at her as she came out in skinny jeans and a band t-shirt.

"I'm starving," she said.

"Want me to get Andrew to pick up some Chinese?" Barry asked, but she shook her head.

"No. Let's go get a bite to eat," she replied. "There's a Ferris Wheel down by the beach, next to a restaurant that has the most delectable burgers I've ever had."

Barry nodded. "Alright, we'll go there, then."

After having Andrew drop them off, with the promise of him coming to get them as soon as they needed, Caitlin and Barry made their way to the restaurant. Normally, it was packed any night of the week but Caitlin, who would never admit this out loud, was glad her fame came in handy every once in a while. As soon as the manager spotted her, his face lit up into a grin.

"Caitlin! Your usual spot?" Mark asked, and she nodded.

"Yes, please," she replied politely, and Mark personally led her and Barry to a table right on the top deck that faced the beach. Once they were seated, Mark left menus for them before wishing Caitlin good luck during award season. Then, he turned and was gone, leaving Caitlin and Barry alone.

"I like that guy," Barry commented, and Caitlin looked up at him in confusion.

"What?" Caitlin asked.

"I like that guy," he replied. "He didn't ask if we were together and didn't make you feel uncomfortable in the slightest."

Caitlin thought about it for a moment. Mark had never made her feel like she was anything other than herself; had never fallen over himself to get her autograph. He had just ensured she always had a place at his restaurant. She smiled. "I like him, too."

XXX

As their dinner progressed, Barry and Caitlin laughed and joked with one another. They were falling into a routine that Caitlin could see herself liking for many years to come. Of course, she didn't mention this to Barry, not wanting to scare the poor guy off. Just then, her phone pinged and she opened a text from Felicity. There was an article of the Emmy nominations, followed by, "HOLY SHIT", and at least twelve exclamation points. Heart thumping nervously, Caitlin looked at the list, noting that she had indeed been nominated for Best Actress.

"Oh my god," she gasped, and Barry looked at her.

"What?" Barry asked. She quickly showed him the text, followed by the nomination and he grinned.

"I'm so proud of you," he said. "That's amazing."

She grinned. "Thanks, babe."

She realized he was looking at her with a certain twinkle in his eye. "What?"

"I just really want to kiss you right now," he admitted.

"Then kiss me," she whispered. She didn't care about the paparazzi who were undoubtedly circling the restaurant like vultures; she didn't care about how Felicity would react; she just cared that she was in this moment with her boyfriend. She had just found out she had been nominated for a fucking Emmy and the man she was slowly starting to fall for more and more each day wanted to kiss her. It was perfect.

He leaned in slowly, placing his hands against her cheeks – she melted into the warmth that was simply him as he brushed his lips across hers' three times. When they pulled apart, she grinned at him and he her.

Yeah. Everything was perfect.

Author's note: Just a sweet one after the last few. More angst to come. Xxx


	12. Chapter 12

Award season was upon them. And Felicity was in her element. Caitlin was currently being dictated to go to every meet and greet scheduled; to sit down and talk to interviewers and television hosts. Of course, naturally, Barry was everywhere Caitlin was, watching from the shadows. Caitlin knew he felt more at ease whenever he was around her, something she was learning to feel herself. They were like two magnetics – they couldn't be pulled apart even if they wanted to be.

Caitlin was currently sitting in her dressing room, getting ready to go appear on the Jimmy Fallon Show. Out of all the hosts she had ever sat down and talked with, Fallon was one of her top five favorites. She knew they'd have a good time. He'd most likely ask about Barry and their growing relationship, something Caitlin had prepped Barry for. Barry's reaction was something out of fairytales.

"Caitlin, I don't care if you talk to the postman about us. I don't care if you talk to your makeup artist. I want the world to know that you're with me."

Caitlin could still remember how his voice was tinged with such desperation that it bordered on possessiveness. Normally, she would feel a sense of indignation at his words but, since it was Barry, she knew that he would never ever claim her in a way that stripped her of her rights to herself.

"Five minutes, Ms. Snow," Cisco Ramon, the stage assistant, called through her closed door. Caitlin caught Barry's eyes in the mirror and they shared a small smile as he made his way to open the door.

"You can call me Caitlin, Cisco," Caitlin reminded him for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Not to mention all the other times she had been a guest on Jimmy's show prior to that. The raven-haired assistant smiled somewhat bashfully.

"Old habits, Ms. – Caitlin," he corrected himself at the look on her face and Caitlin laughed softly.

"Thank you," she said, dipping her head towards him. Cisco smiled in return and then proceeded to tell her he'd be waiting outside for her. Caitlin nodded and watched him walk back out the door. She took a deep, calming breath as Barry shut the door softly and caught her eyes in the mirror.

"Can we have the room?" Barry asked the other members of Caitlin's team. She looked at him curiously and then her team members as they all filed out of the room without so much as a single protest. Caitlin watched Barry through the mirror; watched as he made his way towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging gently.

"Are you alright, Cait?" Barry asked, and she nodded.

"Yes," she promised. "Just the normal preshow nerves."

"I didn't know Caitlin Snow got nervous," Barry replied, gentle laughter belying his serious eyes.

Caitlin grinned. "Something like that."

His hands never stopped their gentle ministrations as he continued talking to her. "Well, just picture everyone in the audience in their underwear. I heard somewhere that that eased nerves."

Despite wanting to tell him it'd also make her giggle like a schoolgirl, she smiled at him. He was sweet. "Thanks, babe."

"Anytime, sweetheart. Now, go out there and show them just exactly who you are," he replied. She nodded as she stood up and turned to face him expectantly. He seemed to get the hint and brushed his lips across hers' before placing them to her forehead and holding them there for an immeasurable amount of time. Eventually, there was another knock at her door and Caitlin squeezed her boyfriend's hand before pulling back.

"I'll see you when it's through," she said, and he nodded, smile stretching itself across his face.

XXX

By the time Caitlin was through, she was proud that the show went well and the fans seemed excited for her newest movie. She knew that they were also speculating about her and Barry, having been subjected to a few questions about that particular relationship. For his sake, Caitlin tried to keep as much of the relationship as she could under wraps. While she may be used to the limelight, Barry had no clue how to navigate these types of waters.

Once she reached backstage with Cisco chattering away in her ear, she spotted Barry standing stiff and guarded and immediately recognize that as the look he donned whenever he was playing 'bodyguard'. She sighed as she made her way to him and touched his arm lightly. He blinked and looked at her.

"Would it kill you to loosen up some?" Caitlin murmured gently, accepting the water he handed her.

"Probably. And, I'm definitely too young to die," he replied, and she chuckled at his no nonsense attitude. This guy would ultimately end up making her rip her hair out. Or, push him up against a wall and kiss him with such fevered frenzy she wouldn't be able to remember who she was. One of the two.

"Andrew waiting out front?" Caitlin asked, taking a much-needed sip of the water. Barry looked at her almost a little…guiltily as he shook his head. She quirked an eyebrow at him, silently asking him to continue.

"I may have given him the night off," he admitted, and Caitlin scrunched up her eyes in confusion.

"Can you just do that? Without checking with Licity first?" Caitlin asked.

"Wait, you're not mad?" Barry checked, and Caitlin shook her head.

"No, a little curious maybe, but definitely not mad. The poor guy needs a break too every now and then," she reminded him, and she saw Barry's visible relief that flashed across his face.

"Oh. Oh, okay. Well, I did speak to Felicity about it and she thinks that Andrew taking off some nights here and there wouldn't hurt," Barry replied, and Caitlin nodded. If Felicity was in on it, she wasn't going to question it; she so did not want to get on the vivacious blonde's bad side, having been there many a time before.

"So, it's just you and me, then?" Caitlin queried, and Barry sighed.

"Us, and the twenty or so paparazzi waiting for you outside," he grumbled, and Caitlin cringed. That was no fun. Looping her arm through his and interlocking their fingers, she smiled as much as she could.

"Lead the way," she murmured, and Barry nodded. Then, they were walking out of the studios she had just filmed the show in and making their way to wherever he was parked, she supposed.

The cacophony of feverish camera clicks assailed Caitlin as soon as they stepped outside. Immediately, she ducked her head into Barry's shoulder as he guided her forward. In this moment she understood he was her bodyguard first, then her boyfriend, and she needed to act accordingly. She allowed him to clear a pathway for them with simple glares sent in the general directions of the cameras.

When they were a sufficient amount away from the paparazzi, Caitlin exhaled a breath of air she hadn't been aware of holding. She looked at Barry who, for his part, remained as stony faced as ever. She stopped walking, gently tugging on his arm until he came to a standstill, too. He looked at her.

"You don't have to pretend, you know," she said gently, and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Pretend about what?" Barry asked, and she smiled slightly.

"Like you're always going to have to be this tough guy with a hard exterior. I know you're doing your job and I know Felicity entrusted you to keep me safe but it is okay to lose the poker face every now and again," she said.

He sighed and thought her words through, processing them, it seemed, before nodding.

"I'm not sure I know how to do this," he whispered. Caitlin looked around, noting the fact that they were in a parking garage at this point so surely his car was nearby.

"Would you like to have this conversation in your car so we're not feeding the paparazzi's flames?" Caitlin asked softly, and he nodded. He started walking again and she followed him all the way to a Mercedes and she whistled lowly.

"Like to drive fast?" Caitlin asked, and Barry chuckled.

"Something like that." He unlocked the car for her and held the door open, shutting it softly once she was situated. Caitlin watched as he rounded to the driver's side of the car and climbed in. Eyes on him, she began to speak.

"You were saying?" Caitlin asked quietly, comfortingly.

He sighed. "I don't know if I'm able to separate bodyguard from boyfriend," he admitted, and she smiled softly.

"I think you're doing a fantastic job," she murmured. His eyes trailed her face as her eyes chased his. Then, they were leaning towards one another.

"I'm not sure I know how to not do this anymore," she admitted, lips close to his. She inhaled the very scent of him, feeling it swirl around inside of her.

"Me neither. But, I'm guessing we'll figure out how to not do it anymore together," he replied, then he kissed her and she felt it run from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. Heart beating like a humming bird's wings, she pulled back.

"Take me home," she murmured.

"Yes ma'am," he said quietly.

XXX

When they got back to her apartment, they looked at each other. Caitlin knew that things had been shifting between them and now they were reaching a point of no return.

"Remember how I said if we do this, we need to do this right?" Barry asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Caitlin nodded.

"Let me love you, Caitlin," he murmured, and she released a shuddering exhale.

"Always," Caitlin replied. Then, she let him pick her up and wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to her room, shutting the door behind them.

Author's note: Just a cute, mushy one. Because I've been dealing with a lot of anxiety lately and I can't focus on anything but that and I need to get in a better headspace. I hope you guys enjoy and as usual, feedback lovely.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's note: This chapter is dedicated to Ellek who is an angel. Thank you for making me feel better about my anxiety. I hope all of you enjoy this one. Xxx

Barry was nothing short of gentle with the way he loved Caitlin. She could feel herself coming undone from his very touch alone. They moved together in a rhythmic synchronization that left her warm from head to toe. The way his lips caressed hers left her floating on cloud nine and she didn't want to come down anytime soon.

"God, you're beautiful," Barry murmured, lips drawing a map of love against her skin. When they finally, finally molded together as one, Caitlin let her heart soar to heights not even she dreamed were possible. Sure, she had had other boyfriends before but none of them were quite this way with her. Loving and self-assured all at once. It made her toes tingle. She wrapped herself around him, kissing his shoulder blade as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"You're not too bad yourself," she replied softly, heart beating a tattoo against her ribcage. When she was utterly and completely content, he pulled back, looking her in the eyes.

"I love you," he said quietly, and she felt her heart grow three times its normal size. She searched his face for any hints of dishonesty but he kept his eyes open and unguarded for her to see and she realized what that meant. He was letting her in. All the way in. There was no turning back now. She smiled softly, dropping a kiss to his chest.

"I love you, too," she murmured, feeling the truth of those four words in her darkest parts, shining a light and making things a bit brighter. As he brought her back down, she took her time getting reacquainted with herself. She felt like she had awoken a part of her that she hadn't seen in too long; a part that had been buried deep beneath the surface. She rolled over onto her side after calming herself and propped herself up on her elbow, eyes tracing the delicate curves of his cheekbones.

"Do you trust me?" Barry asked softly, and she nodded without hesitation.

"Undeniably so," she murmured, and a small smile twitched his lips upwards.

"Then trust me to get to know you, all of you," he replied, and she watched as his hand gently wrapped around her wrist, bringing it up to his eye level. From that position, she could see the faint outline of her scars in the moonlight and realized she had taken off her makeup at the show earlier that evening. Sighing, she bit her lip and looked back at Barry.

"What happened?" Barry asked softly.

"Old wounds," she muttered, watching as he quirked an eyebrow at her. She nodded – she knew that answer would not suffice. "My youth was not a fun time, for a multitude of reasons."

"How so?" Barry questioned quietly.

"For starters, my parents got a divorce when I was fourteen. For as long as I could remember it had been the three of us against the world. Then one day I came home from theatre rehearsal to find my dad's stuff packed. My mom had kicked him out," she murmured, mind eye on the past.

"Do you know why?" Barry asked quietly, and Caitlin nodded.

"She said it was because they had fallen out of love with each other. As simple as that," she laughed dryly, remembering the heartache she felt at that. She couldn't imagine two people who were so in love with each other just being so capable of being susceptible to falling out of love. "I always thought there was more to it than that; more hiding behind her words."

"Did you ever ask her?" Barry wondered, and Caitlin shook her head, chuckling humorlessly.

"I may have rebelled after my dad left," she admitted. His eyes automatically fell to her wrist, then back to her eyes, a silent question being asked. She nodded. "Exactly what I mean. My mother had left this hole in my chest when my dad left. Instead of being angry at him for walking away from us, I turned my anger onto her, determined to punish her for being the one to kick him out in the first place."

Barry sighed, bringing her wrist to his lips and placing a gentle kiss against one of her more prominent scars. "I'm so sorry baby. Do you still do this?"

She knew by his tone alone he was genuinely concerned. Desperate to soothe the fear inside of him, she quickly shook her head. "I haven't in so long. Do I get the desire to do so? On occasion, sure. When things are completely out of my control. But, I don't allow myself to sink back into the mindset I had in my youth. I have a lot of things worth staying healthy and happy for."

His eyes searched her face, drinking her in it seemed. "Has the realization at having a stalker altered the way you think about yourself?"

She sighed. He seemed to be understanding her better more and more. She was desperate to hide away from him; to shy from his penetrating gaze. As if sensing where her thoughts were leading her, he circled his arms around her, pulling her to where her head was resting against his chest.

"Don't hide from me, sweetheart," he whispered, and she nodded. She knew she shouldn't – knew that she couldn't. Not after crossing the point of no return. Licking her lips, she thought about her answer to the question he poised.

"I think," she began finally. "That it uprooted my life in some way. It's no easy thing to accept the fact that you have a crazed fan out there who is a little too interested in what you're doing. One night in London, the night we kissed actually, I was aching to feel the momentary relief I used to get. Then I realized it was simply that: momentary relief. The razor blade was only going to add another scar to my already decorated skin and a barrage of questions by Felicity. And, the public, if they caught sight of the scars. I knew I couldn't do that to Felicity, my team, or myself. It wasn't fair."

"Not fair to yourself in the slightest," Barry agreed. "I really don't give a shit about your team."

Caitlin huffed out an aborted laugh, throat constricting painfully. "You're a good man, Barry Allen."

"And, you're a good woman, Caitlin Snow," he replied simply, kissing the corner of her mouth. She melted into the feeling of warmth his lips provided, reveling in the fact once again that this stoic man had chosen her. It left her feeling overwhelmed but in such an exciting, passionate way, that she didn't care if she was at the point where she needed to breathe his air to feel completed.

They fell silent then, the only sound to be heard was their heart beats, a pitter patter in rhythm with one another. It was moments like this that Caitlin lived for: where she was tucked away in the safety of her apartment, feeling content with her life. She wasn't thinking about a razor; wasn't thinking about anything detrimental to herself. She was just simply living. And that was good enough for her.

Author's note: Short one between Barry and Caitlin. Fun fact: I used to want to be an actress but then when I went to a theatre camp one summer, I ended up writing a script and my theatre counselor told me to consider writing, too. I fell in love with the way it provided an outlet for me. Anyways, sorry about the boring life detail. Hope you enjoyed this one. More angst to come! Xxx


	14. Chapter 14

Emmy night had arrived and Caitlin was currently getting ready in her apartment with her team. Per usual, Barry was standing in the corner, keeping a firm eye on everything and everyone. Caitlin laughed gently as her makeup artist shared a story about her toddler. She knew the woman absolutely adored her little girl who, more often than not, would come to set with her mom and take in all of the glamor set life could provide.

"Angelica sounds absolutely adorable," Caitlin said, smiling in the mirror once she caught Barry's eye. He returned the smile and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I have to agree with Caitlin," he added, and her makeup artist grinned.

"Thanks, guys," she murmured, and Caitlin went back to sitting still long enough for her artist to put the final touches of her makeup on her face. Once the makeup was done, next came her hair. Emilia was an angel when it came to understanding what Caitlin wanted done with her hair. She swept the majority of it into a braid, letting it hang over her shoulder, before pulling a few loose strands forward to frame her face, highlighting them by curling them.

When all was said and done, Caitlin looked at the woman staring back at her in the mirror. She had smoky eyeshadow on, a clear lip gloss, her hair done the way it was, and her dress. God her dress. It was a simple Chanel that came to her knees, leaving her Jimmy Choo's flats on display. She caught Barry's eye once more in the mirror and watched in pleasure as his eyes took in her appearance before a grin quirked his lips upwards.

"Can we have the room, guys?" Caitlin asked her team, and they all nodded, packing up their belongings. She waited until they were gone before looking at Barry. "Like what you see, Allen?"

He swallowed. "Yes. Very much so."

"Have fun keeping your hands off me tonight while being my bodyguard," she teased, winking at him as she turned and left the room. His groan followed her down the hallway, as did his final words.

"You don't play fair, Snow!"

XXX

The red carpet was alive with feverish energy and camera clicks. Caitlin posed for every camera that went off in front of her, smiling politely. Barry, who kept only minimal space between them, had his stoic expression firmly in place every time a camera went off. While not being in the actual picture, he hated the fact that so many had to be taken.

"It gives your stalker even more fuel," he explained one night when they were laying in bed. Caitlin hadn't deemed that worthy of a response and just rolled over, bidding him goodnight. She loved the man, she truly did, but he didn't always have to be so uptight about the way things were in her life. She had chosen this as her career; as such, it didn't come without some drawbacks.

"Caitlin, are you excited about your possible win this year?" Jasmine, an interviewer asked.

"I'm just excited I get to be here at all," Caitlin replied, smiling warmly.

"Well, with your work in the film, it's a nomination well earned," Jasmine assured her, and Caitlin grinned.

"Thanks, Jasmine," she said, pausing for one more picture before moving onto the next interviewer who wanted to discuss her choice of outfit. On and on it went until it was time to get to her seat.

Once Caitlin and Barry got settled in the building, Barry surprising Caitlin by sitting next to her and not standing at the door like she thought he would, she looked around the room. Actors from all sorts of film and life were in there. Some of the best. The best of the best. She had competition. But, that wasn't what this was about. Tonight was about celebrating how far she had made it, no matter if she brought home an award or not.

The lights dimmed and the host walked out and Caitlin cheered with the rest of the people in the room as the show began. Awards were given, tears were shed, laughter was joyous. When it was time for her category, Caitlin suddenly felt Godzilla like butterflies in her stomach and sat up a bit straighter. She felt Barry's hand clasp hers' and start rubbing soothing circles into the back of her palm. She nodded and turned her attention back to the announcer.

"….and the winner for Best Actress is Caitlin Snow!"

Caitlin sat there, shell-shocked. Did she hear correctly? Did she really just win an Emmy? Then, Barry was pulling her to her feet, laughing and clapping.

"You did it, baby!" Barry exclaimed and she laughed right along with him, allowing him to tug her into his arms. She returned his hug, whispering a quick "I love you", before letting him walk her to the stage. Once she reached the stairs, she kissed him once more and made her way up onto the stage. The announcer was there, handing her the Emmy, and she was suddenly transported back to her first school play in elementary school. Her mom and dad telling her she was the star of the show – that she was going to make something of herself someday.

She walked up to podium, tilted the mic towards her, and smiled as the last of the clapping died down.

"Holy shit, guys!" Caitlin exclaimed, startling even herself at her choice of language on live television. The laughter that echoed around the room clued her into the fact that nobody minded and she continued. "Alright, I've got to be quick before they start playing the music to kick me off the stage so I want to thank everyone on the movie who made it such a joyous experience. I want to thank the fans who have helped me get here. I want to thank my team, with a special shout out to Felicity, my publicist and best friend who encourages me to go after roles outside of my comfort zone. I want to thank my parents who never gave up on my dreams." She took a deep breath, and locked eyes with Barry, who was smiling proudly. "And, finally, I want to thank the man who has come into my life and shown me what it means to love unconditionally. Without you, I wouldn't be half the woman I am today. Thanks babe, I love you."

When she was through, she smiled once more, hugged the announcer and let herself be led off stage to where Barry was already waiting. Not caring about who saw them, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with such fevered frenzy it left the both of them breathless.

"I love you and am so proud of you, baby," he whispered against her lips, and she grinned. Yeah, it was perfect.

XXX

After the show, Caitlin and Barry made their way towards his car which they'd be riding in to the after party. As they walked, Caitlin held her Emmy in one hand and wrapped her other one around his. Tonight, just for once, he was boyfriend and not bodyguard. They had earned it.

A loud crack in the air had Caitlin stumbling in surprise. Then, Barry pushing her down left her disoriented. She watched as he drew his own gun, not even aware that he had one. Something warm and sticky coated her fingers when she pressed into her side, and she pulled them back. Blood. Lots of it.

"Barry," she managed to say before succumbing to darkness washing over her like a tidal wave.

Author's note: Enjoy. Xxx


	15. Chapter 15

Author's note: This chapter is going to be told in Barry's P.O.V. Enjoy!

Barry wasn't sure how time seemed to come to a standstill as he watched in horror at the way Caitlin lost consciousness. One minute, they had been walking; the next, a bullet had ripped through the red carpet and Caitlin's fingers were suddenly drenched in crimson blood. Looking around wildly for whoever shot the gun, he dropped to his knees, pushing his girlfriend's hair back from her face.

Caitlin was pale; too pale. She had lost all of her glowing color and looked white as a ghost under the harsh lights of the cameras. That was the other thing: the cameras. While most people were screaming at each other to call an ambulance, there were one or two people trying to get pictures. To make a quick buck Barry thought to himself angrily. He didn't have time to deal with incompetence's of these idiots. Growling, he shielded Caitlin's body with his own, using his hands to press into her wound. He hated to admit how bad it looked.

"Caitlin? Caitlin, honey. Please groan or move or squeeze my hand if you can hear me," he murmured, holding her still hand in his. When she did none of the above, Barry felt his heart stutter in his chest. He hadn't been in this situation since…no. He refused to think about that. This time wasn't going to be like the last time, not if he could help it. He sprang into action as he cradled her body into his.

"Did someone call an ambulance?" Barry asked the closest person. He vaguely remembered Caitlin addressing her as Jasmine.

"Yes, sir," Jasmine assured him quickly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes, give me your wrap so I can staunch as much of the blood flow as possible," he ordered. He half expected the woman to protest, to say that it was designer, but she quickly acquiesced his request. He was surprised; perhaps there were still some good people in Hollywood. Looking down at Caitlin, he noted that to definitely be true. Once Jasmine had transferred her sweater to him, he quickly placed it against Caitlin's wound, pressing the material firmly against the skin to help decrease the blood flow.

Just as he was reminding himself to not panic and lose his head completely, he heard a sound so beautiful that he would have wept tears of relief if he wasn't moving on adrenalin: the paramedics had shown up.

The first medic to reach Barry went by Brett, according to his name tag.

"You have to help her," Barry implored, holding onto Caitlin with such a tenacious grip he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to let go.

"We will, sir. But you've got to let us do our jobs and we can't do that if you're holding onto her," Brett replied.

"I'm not leaving her!" Barry snapped, horrified at the very thought.

"I'm not asking you to, son," Brett said gently. "I'm just asking you give us a little space to work with."

Barry, after a quick internal debate, let go of Caitlin's hand but stayed as close to her as he could. Brett seemed able to work with the space he was given and began checking Caitlin's vitals.

"Looks like we have a bullet wound to the chest. Luckily it seems to have gone through and through so I don't think it's lodged into anything vital," Brett said, and Barry felt some of the tension creep out of him. "Bring me a gurney. Now."

A young medic, maybe in early twenties, rushed forward with a gurney and together, he and Brett got Caitlin lifted up onto it and rolled over to the back of the ambulance where they loaded her in. Brett looked at Barry.

"Are you riding with us to the hospital?" Brett questioned.

"Yes," Barry replied simply, striding over to the back of the bus and climbing in. On his life, it was like déjà vu the moment he sat down in the back. He had been in the back of an ambulance once before, under similar circumstances to the ones he faced now. The only thing he could do was pray the outcome would be different.

XXX

Once they got to the hospital, the medics rushed Caitlin into the ER department, with Barry hot on their heels. He was stopped by a nurse, firing off a barrage of questions at him and the last thing he wanted to do was answer them, let alone listen to her.

"I don't know who shot her. Yes, that's Caitlin Snow. Yes, the media circus has it right, she has a stalker…no, I'm not certain if that was who it was. Obviously we'll need officers here…," the questions went on and on as they prepped Caitlin for surgery and he was told he had to wait in the lobby. He hated the idea of waiting on principal alone but what choice did he have in the matter? He just quickly bent down towards Caitlin before they wheeled her to the OR and brushed his lips across her forehead.

"Fight like hell, and come back to me baby," he whispered. Then, she was gone, and he was left sinking down onto the floor, back sliding against the wall. He pulled his knees into his chest and did something he hadn't done in too long to be proud of. He prayed.

XXX

The little boy wasn't sure what had woken him up. All he could remember was that he had fallen asleep to the sound of his mom singing to him. His dad was working the late shift at the hospital, so he wasn't there to say goodnight to him. Taking in his surroundings, Barry Allen noted it was three in the morning if the alarm clock was anything to go by. Then, that's when he heard it. Faint at first, but the more he strained his ears, the louder the sound grew. Crying. A feminine sound to it. Then it dawned on him: his mother.

Getting out of bed, he crept his way to his bedroom door, pulling it open slightly to peer into the hallway. He heard Nora Allen talking softly to someone or something.

"…I swear, that's all we have in the safe. You can keep it all! But please, don't do this. I have a child," Nora's whispered pleas floated up the stairs to him and something clenched inside of Barry's heart. He quickly made his way to the stairs, taking them as quickly and quietly as he could. As he got to the kitchen, the room his mother's voice seemed to be emanating from, his own voice got lost in his throat as he stared in horror at the intruder who had a gun pointed her. Nora Allen caught his eye and he understood she was telling him to stay hidden; to not watch. The bang that followed that crucial communication was one he knew he'd never forget. The intruder ran out the door, and Barry ran to his mother.

"Mom! Mama!" Barry screamed, dropping to his knees next to her. He didn't know much about the human body as a seven-year-old, having promised himself he'd look at his dad's medical books when he could understand them a little better, but the copious amount of blood draining out of his mother's body was alarming, even to him. "Mom! Mom, no!"

"Excuse me, sir?" Barry was jerked out of his memories as a soft voice drifted to his ears. Startled, he stood up, taking shuddering breaths to calm his heart rate. The nurse frowned at him.

"Are you alright, sir? You look pale," she commented worriedly, but he waved her concern aside.

"I'm fine. How's Caitlin?" Barry asked quickly, and, after one more worried glance at him, the nurse nodded.

"The surgery was a success. She's resting now. You may go see her," she said kindly, and the relief that flood through him was instantaneous. He followed her to the room at the end of the hall, nodding his head absentmindedly at her comment about being right down the corridor. Then, he turned his eyes on Caitlin. Caitlin looked ten times smaller swallowed up in a hospital gown. Swallowing the lump in is throat, he sat down in the chair next to her bed and picked up her hand, brushing a gentle kiss to the back of her palm.

"Hey baby," he began shakily. "I miss you. How about you go ahead and show me those beautiful eyes of yours'? We've got to celebrate your Emmy win and we can't do that if you're sleeping."

"Why not? I'm pretty comfortable," came the soft reply, and Barry looked at her. She was staring at him through half-lidded eyes, smiling tiredly at him.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Hi," she murmured back to him.

"I'm so sorry, baby. So fucking sorry," he muttered, and she squeezed his hand as tight as she could, which wasn't saying much given her condition.

"You got me here, didn't you?" Caitlin asked softly, smiling at him. He nodded. That was more than he could say for someone else he knew; someone who hadn't survived the ride to the hospital in the first place.

"I love you," he said quietly, brushing his lips once more against her forehead. She hummed.

"And I love you. And, when I get out of here, can we go to my favorite restaurant to celebrate my win?" Caitlin asked drowsily, and Barry knew the medication was strong. He nodded.

"Absolutely. Just promise me one thing, sweetheart."

"Hmm?"

"Never scare me like that again," he implored.

The sound of her soft laughter was reassuring and all-encompassing at once.

"Deal," she murmured, before succumbing to the medication's pull once more. Watching her, Barry vowed to bring her stalker down with his bare hands, no matter what it took. No matter the cost. He was done playing games.

Author's note: Hope you all enjoyed. Leave a review if you feel so inclined! Xxx


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